The Missouri Mavericks beat the Evansville IceMen, 3-1, in a contest where the winning goal was scored in the first period but the game remained close throughout.
Missouri took over the lead for good with a goal by John-Scott Dickson at 2:09 in the first period. Ryan Jardine picked up the assist.
The win by the Mavericks clinched the best of seven series at 4-0.
Missouri was led by goalie Charlie Effinger, who finished with 39 saves while allowing one goal. Effinger managed to improve on his goals against average, which stood at 1.43 prior to the game.
The Mavericks were sparked by Tristin Llewellyn, who grabbed one goal. Llewellyn scored 11:57 into the first period to make the score 2-0 Missouri. Sebastien Thinel provided the assist.
Evansville was unable to stop Missouri from sending pucks towards the net, and the Mavericks eventually piled up 33 shots on goal.
Missouri additionally got points from Dickson, who also finished with one goal and one assist and Thinel, who also racked up one goal and one assist. In addition, Missouri received assists from Brandon Coccimiglio, who had one.
The IceMen’s penalty kill was spotless, allowing no goals on three Missouri power plays. Evansville forced Missouri goalie Effinger to work between the pipes, taking 40 shots. The IceMen’s offense was helped by the efforts of their defensemen, who managed to put 20 shots on net during the game.
Evansville was led by Todd Robinson, who scored the team’s only goal. Robinson scored 10:48 into the third period to make the score 2-1 Missouri. Matt Gens picked up the assist.
The Mavericks incurred four minutes in penalty time with two minors. Pier-Olivier Pelletier recorded 30 saves for the IceMen. Evansville incurred eight minutes in penalty time with four minors.
