The Huntsville Havoc faced off against the Macon Mayhem for the second time this season this Friday at Roto-Rooster Ice in the Propst Arena. These two teams have been evenly matched historically. Both teams winning 13 games against the other in the past five seasons. Entering this season, the Havoc appears to have the upper hand, with multiple Top 20 players and a Top 15 goalie, assets that the Mayhem lack. Furthermore, the Mayhem have only won five of their twenty-seven games this season. Going into the game, the Macon Mayhem was going to be fighting an uphill battle.
Photo Cred: MaconMayhem.com
The first period started with a bang, as the Havocs got control of the puck in the face-off, only for the Mayhem to take it and make a shot on the goal immediately, blocked by Nick Latinovich. The Havoc then suffered a penalty kill but prevented the Mayhem from scoring. The back and forth between the two teams continued with no scoring until there was 8:26 left on the clock. On a second penalty kill, Havoc once again forced on the defense.
During a face-off after Latinovich blocked another goal, Havoc player Kasey Kulczycki had his stick break, putting the Havoc in dire straits. Being down a player and a second stick, Havoc’s Tyler Piacentini managed to rally the team. He scored a goal against the Mayhem. Mayhem player Rhett Kingston followed up with a goal of his own. He tied the game until there were only 26.8 seconds left on the clock. Then Havoc Sy Nutkevitch scored another goal, bringing the final score of the first period to 2-1 in favor of the Havoc.
Photo Cred: Huntsville Havoc
The second period started with both teams vying over control of the puck and taking occasional shots at the goals. This state continued until 11:39, when Mayhem player Carter Roo scored a goal against the Havoc, tying the game. Sensing blood, the Mayhem continued their momentum. They took multiple shots against the Havoc and scoring another point with two minutes left in the period. Tensions erupted between Kasey Kulczycki and David Nippard as they broke into a fight and were sent to the penalty box for the remainder of the period. The final two minutes ended with no more points, bringing the score to 3-2 in favor of the Macon Mayhem.
Phot Cred: Elite Prospects
The third period began with the Mayhem playing defensively to keep their lead against the Havoc. Their defense managed this for the first half of the period. Despite a second fight causing them to lose Sacha Roy and a foul causing them to go on the penalty kill. It didn’t last as Havoc Austin Martinsen scored a goal, bringing the score to 3-3 with 11:30 on the clock. Both teams committed to the offense but struggled to break the other’s defense as the clock slowly ticked. With only 57 seconds left on the clock, Havoc player Nathan Hudgin scored. On the back foot, the Mayhem exchanged their goalie for a last-ditch effort to bring it back up to a tie. But it was too little too late. The clock hit zero, and the Havocs won 4-3.
