The Mavericks are back in action tonight against the defending Western Conference Champions, the Toledo Walleye. The Mavericks have had a slow start to the season, their record currently stands at 1-3-0-0. This record leaves them last in the Mountain Division, however they have only played 4 games. There are a lot of expectations surrounding this team and it’s important to remember that teams aren’t always going to mesh perfectly right off the bat. The Mavericks put up a dominant win against Tulsa last Friday. In the 5-1 victory Goaltender Nick Schneider was an absolute brick wall, puck support was effective, and passes were crisp. The Mavericks lost on Tuesday against Tulsa, but they managed to put up a lot of high-quality chances. Tulsa’s goaltender Olle Erikkson Ek turned out to be the difference maker in that 2-1 loss. The Mavericks have been trending in the right direction since their lackluster opening weekend.

Roster News: Earlier this week the Mavericks signed Forward Ian Mackey. In a corresponding move they placed Corey Durocher on reserve. Alongside these moves, Stockton recalled Forward Mason Morelli. Morelli had been skating with Rocco Carzo and seemed to have some pretty good chemistry. Hopefully we see him again soon. On the injury front, Defenseman Cole Fraser was placed on Injured Reserve on October 17th retroactive to October 9th. Neal Goff was also placed on IR on Monday retroactive to October 19th.

Schneider En Fuego: Goaltender Nick Schneider was assigned to the Mavericks by Calgary and in the two games he has appeared in so far, he has been dominant. He currently has a Save Percentage of .953 and a Goals Against Average of 1.52. Mavericks fans may remember his less than stellar play with the team last season. He spent almost half of the season in Stockton with the Mavericks’ AHL affiliate, but when he was sent back down to KC his numbers suffered. Over the offseason there was an article about Schneider on The Athletic in which he talked about how he wasn’t in the greatest headspace when he was sent back down. Those mental barriers caused his game to suffer. He has been working with a sports psychologist to break down those barriers and it seems to be working. Here is the article, but it is behind a paywall.

https://theathletic.com/1128973/2019/08/23/bend-dont-break-special-bond-between-flames-prospect-nick-schneider-and-his-goalie-coach-turned-sports-psychologist/

Brotherly Love: Darian Dziurzynski and his brother David are showing early that they intend to be huge parts of this team. Darian currently has 3 points (3g,0a) and David leads the team with 4 points (2g,2a). Darian has 3 goals in 3 games. Darian will be playing in his 200th ECHL game tonight!

Carzo nearing 100 Goals: Captain Rocco Carzo only needs to score 2 more goals to reach 100 career ECHL goals. Carzo is currently in his 8th ECHL season and his 5th with the Mavericks. He currently has 258 career ECHL points (98g,160a).

Keys to the Game

Start Fast: Last season, the Mavericks were plagued by slow start to games. A lack of momentum often left the Mavericks down by several goals before they could get to their game. In the first two games this season they had that problem again. But in the win against Tulsa they struck fast and kept rolling the whole game. Establish dominance, control the puck, and make Toledo pay for every inch of ice.

Special Teams: The Mavericks’ power play is currently 24th in the league at 1-for-14 (7.1%) and their penalty kill is 19th at 15-for-19 (73.7%). Toledo’s power play is 12th at 2-for-10 and their PK is 7th at 7-for-8 (87.5%). Special Teams are pretty evenly matched tonight.

Support the Goalie: Nick Schneider has been a man possessed but he can’t win by himself. The Mavericks need to make sure they are clearing screens, reducing shots on goal, and keeping opposing players out of the slot. If they can force play to the outside, it will be much easier for Schneider to see the puck and make saves. They also need to provide him with plenty of goal support. On Tuesday, Schneider stopped 37 shots, but the Mavericks ended up losing 2-1.

Mavericks Record: 1-3-0-0

Toledo Record: 2-0-0-0

Game 5

When: 7:05 PM

Where: Silverstein Eye Centers Arena, Independence, MO

How to Watch: In person, Play-by-Play Radio Broadcast available on the Mavericks App, ECHL.TV ($)