Shootout loss ends Mayhem winning streak at 10

The Macon Mayhem’s 10-game winning streak came to an end Friday at the hands of the Fayetteville Fireantz, as the Mayhem paid for letting the Fireantz hang around in a 3-2 loss in a shootout.

The Mayhem led 1-0 on a first-period goal by Daniel Gentzler before a pair of scores by Fayetteville’s Bobby Chaumont were good for a 2-1 lead.

But Macon weren’t done. Matt Johnson’s shot from in front of the night with an extra attacker on the ice tied the score at 2 with 26 seconds go.

After neither team scored in overtime, the game went to a shootout, where Joe Kalisz clinched the win when he shot the puck by Macon goalie Jordan Ruby.

The Mayhem (11-1-2) have failed to earn a point in just one game this year and have a two-point lead ahead of Huntsville for first place in the SPHL. The Fireantz (6-7-0) have won three of four.

Four who mattered

Gentzler: The left winger came up big for the second game in a row, getting his second goal in as many games to give the Mayhem a 1-0 lead in the first period and assisted on a game-tying goal to force overtime. Gentzler took a crossing pass from Jake Trask on a two-on-one scoring chance, shooting the puck past Fireantz goalie Andrew Hare.

Matt Johnson: The Mayhem scrapped their way back to earn a point in the standings thanks to Johnson, whose shot from behind the net with 26 seconds to go tied the game at 2. The score was put into place by Gentzler’s assist.

Bobby Chaumont: His power-play goal on a shot from the right side tied the game at 1 8:13 into the third period, and he knocked a loose puck past Ruby in front of the net 10:19 into the third for a 2-1 Fayetteville lead.

Ruby: Goalie Garrett Bartus being on loan to the ECHL means that Ruby will assume a bulk of the work in goal for the Mayhem. He lived up to the pressure, keeping the Fireantz off the board for the game’s first 48 minutes before Fayetteville scored a pair of goals. The loss dropped his record to 5-1.

Hare: His play helped prevent the Mayhem from building on their 1-0 lead. He had 31 saves Friday.

Observations

Getting physical: Fayetteville head coach Jeff Bes went to a physical approach to slow down Macon’s speed. It worked. On a night in which physical checks and hits were an often occurrence, the Mayhem were not able to get as much going in front of the Fireantz net, slowing down their offensive flow in the Fayetteville attacking zone.

Quickly physical: It didn’t take long to tell that the game would be hard-hitting. Just one second into the game, Macon’s Dennis Sicard and Fayetteville’s Brad Drobot dropped the gloves for a fight near center ice.

Worth mentioning

Roster moves: The Mayhem earlier this week activated defenseman Chris Joseph from the injured reserve and signed forward Ryan Salkeld to a second three-game tryout. Bartus and forward Collin MacDonald have been loaned to Fort Wayne and Florida of the ECHL, respectively. As a result of Bartus being on loan to the ECHL, the Mayhem signed goalie Troy Passingham. Forward Vadim Guskov has been released and has since signed with Columbus.

They said it

Mayhem head coach Kevin Kerr on Fayetteville’s comeback: “We played a great first period. We let up a little in the second and started turning pucks over, and they kept pounding and kept coming. We didn’t have our best second period or third period, and they kept putting pressure on. It’s one of those things where you have to play 60 minutes, and it’s hard. We have to play a certain way for a full 60 minutes and we got away from our game. They kept hanging around.”

Kerr on Gentzler: “We need more guys to step up when guys get called up, that’s what good teams do. We had a couple guys do that (Friday).”

Kerr on Fayetteville’s physical game plan: “We’re a fast team with a lot of team speed. The best way to beat that is to be physical, and that’s something we’ve got to be able to counteract.”

What’s next?

The Mayhem travel to Fayetteville on Saturday and return home to play Pensacola on Friday and Mississippi on Dec. 10.

This story was originally published December 3, 2016 at 1:21 AM with the headline "Shootout loss ends Mayhem winning streak at 10."