MACON, GA – It may have been 5 o’clock somewhere on Margaritaville Night in the Macon Coliseum, but the Macon Mayhem were ready to go to work against the Pensacola Ice Flyers.
It would be a track meet of a first period as each team was racing back and forth down the ice. Pensacola’s Sean Ross would open the scoring with his first professional goal. The Mayhem would have an answer. Tanner Nagel and Jake Goldowski would operate down low in the trapezoid before recentering the puck into the slot. Billy Jerry would be right there to score his second of the weekend. Houston Wilson and Malik Johnson would connect on the rush for Pensacola to restore the lead. Once again, the Mayhem would have an answer in the form of twin telepathy. Brett Mecrones would pick out his twin Derek Mecrones on the rush as the pair combined to tally against their former club. The score would remain tied at two a-piece at the break.
Macon would kill off a penalty to start the frame and score quickly thereafter. Cohen would win the faceoff back to Alex Laplante. Laplante would rip a shot, and Cohen collected a rebound off the boards and slotted it home to grab Macon their first lead of the game. Pensacola would score off a weird deflected shot that would arc over Jack Bostedt. Macon would continue to turn up the heat. Slapping at the third rebounded shot in a quick span, Brett Mecrones would score to restore the Mayhem advantage. Derek Mecrones would steal the puck on the forecheck and shuffle a pass over to Derek Contessa, who would snipe it by Eric Dop. Just five seconds into the Mayhem’s first powerplay of the game, Laplante would have his shot deflected by a screening David Nippard to widen the gap further. That would prompt a goalie change for the Ice Flyers. Pensacola’s Malik Johnson would go five-hole to beat Bostedt. Houston Wilson would then score on the breakaway for his second of the game. The Mecrones, Mecrones, and Contessa line would strike again; this one off the stick of Brett Mecrones. After a crazy second period, Macon would clutch onto a 7-5 lead.
Michael McChesney would start the scoring in the final frame, ripping a shot from above the right circle to make it 8-5. Late in the period, Malik Johnson would score to pull the Ice Flyers back to within two. At the 16:46 mark, the Mayhem would be assessed a delay of game penalty. Pensacola would pull their goalie with 3:24 left to skate 6-on-4. Jack Bostedt would be stellar down the stretch in a chaotic close to the game. Bostedt would stop 18 of the last 19 shots he faced to secure his first professional win by an 8-6 score.
The win would mark the first win of Caleb Cameron’s coaching career.
The Mayhem will head on a four-game road trip before returning to the Macon Coliseum for their final game of the season against the Huntsville Havoc. Without the fans, professional hockey in Macon would not be possible so the Mayhem want to thank you all on Fan Appreciation Night. The Mayhem’s home sweaters will be auctioned off after the game. For tickets or more information, visit maconmayhem.com or call us at 478-803-1592.
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