(MACON, Ga.) – The Mayhem clawed back to earn a point, but ultimately fell short in overtime, falling 3-2 to the Birmingham Bulls.
The first period was low event, with no goals and no penalties. Josh Boyko stopped eight shots while he made his second consecutive start, and the teams entered the middle frame tied at zero.
Birmingham came out strong in the second period, as Drake Glover scored for the second night in a row to open the scoring and give Birmingham a 1-0 lead. As Birmingham continued to mount pressure, Kyren Gronick eventually extended the Birmingham lead to two with a deflection in front of Boyko. Just minutes later, Birmingham goaltender Talor Joseph misplayed a puck behind his own net, leading to Michael Krupinski scoring his first goal of the season and triggering the Mayhem’s Tighty-Whitey toss. The Mayhem trailed 2-1 at the end of the second period.
In the third, the Mayhem’s top line went to work on the forecheck, with Matteo Ybarra sniping one far corner to beat Joseph and tie the game. Moments later, Max Messier dropped the gloves with Kenny Britton, igniting the largest crowd of the season for the Macon Coliseum. The Bulls turned on the pressure after that, outshooting the Mayhem 14-3 in the third period, but Boyko kept the Mayhem in the game as they forced overtime, earning a point for the fourth straight time at home.
However, it didn’t take long in overtime for the Bulls to capitalize, as the Mayhem never touched the puck after regulation, and C.J. Walker beat Boyko to the blocker side to take the extra point.
The Mayhem are in Pensacola on Sunday, but return home for Macon Music Night against Roanoke on Friday, January 23 at 7:00 PM ET. Guarantee your seat by purchasing tickets at maconmayhem.com.
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