PEORIA, IL – The Macon Mayhem made the long trip north to take on the Peoria Rivermen with some new and familiar faces joining the roster. Rhett Kingston, Lane King, and Billy Jerry would dress and make their Mayhem debuts this season. Head Coach Nick Niedert and the Macon Mayhem would have to get creative as roster moves and suspensions left the team with only 3 true defensemen for the contest; Dan Winslow and David Nippard would step up to fill the need.
The goaltending matchup would feature the Mayhem’s Josh Boyko and the Rivermen’s Nick Latinovich, each with a chance to grab a win against their former clubs. Goaltending and defense would rule the first period as the score remained even at zero; Boyko would turn away 15 shots.
Each team would create some chances in the second period, but the defense and goaltending would be stellar again. Boyko stopped all 12 shots he faced with some breathtaking displays, and his defense would step up to block several shots and clear rebounds into the corner boards. The second period would be capped off with a brief moment of extracurriculars that would amount to an ensuing Mayhem powerplay heading into the final frame with the score still deadlocked at zero.
Macon would be unable to convert on their powerplay to open the frame. Peoria would pressure, but Boyko would make save after save to keep the score deadlocked down the stretch. Boyko and the Mayhem penalty kill unit would survive a Peoria powerplay late in the contest. As the period rolled on without a score from either team, it became clear that the first team to break through very well may have the game-winner. In the waning moments, Kingston would rattle a shot off the crossbar, and the Rivermen would head the other way. Tristan Trudel would then squeak a shot by Boyko with 51 seconds left to win the game for the Rivermen.
Boyko would be fantastic as he stopped 44/45 shots on goal, but the Mayhem would not be able to scratch anything across in a 1-0 defeat.
Macon will look for revenge tomorrow night in Peoria as they continue their road trip before returning home on Friday, January 5th to take on the Pensacola Ice Flyers in their new second-half home jerseys. For tickets or more information, visit maconmayhem.com or call us at 478-803-1592.
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