Stage set for first-place showdown between Macon and Huntsville
Like two boxers in a title fight, Macon and Huntsville have gone back and forth for first place in the SPHL for a better part of the season. The chase for the best record to end the regular season will be raised to another level this weekend with the teams teams facing off for three games in a row with Sunday’s game being in Macon.
The games Friday and Saturday will be played in Huntsville.
Macon (31-10-6) has a one-point lead in the standings ahead of Huntsville (31-13-5), and this weekend presents a golden opportunity for both teams to gain ground against the other and also pull away from third-place Fayetteville, which enters the weekend two points out of first place.
After this weekend, the Mayhem have six games remaining compared to Huntsville’s four. So while a regular-season title may not be clinched this weekend, chances of winning it can be severely dented. Three losses in regulation to Huntsville, for instance, would give the Havoc a five-point lead in the standings, an obstacle that likely would prove tough to overcome in a short period of time.
“It’s definitely something we can lose in a heartbeat,” Mayhem defenseman Jeff Sanders said. “We have to make sure we bring our ‘A Game’ for 60 minutes, because they’ll treat it like a playoff series as well for all three games.”
Macon is 1-1 this season against Huntsville, claiming a 3-2 win in overtime Feb. 4 in Macon while losing 4-0 in a Jan. 20 game played on the road.
“I think the guys know the gravity of the situation. It’s three games in three nights, and it can put us in a good position if we win,” Mayhem head coach Kevin Kerr said. “We know it’s going to be a hard weekend. They’re battling for first place, and we’re battling for first place. The guys realize how hard it’ll be; it’s not going to be easy. It’ll probably be our hardest weekend of the season so far.”
The Mayhem will once again go with the rotation of Troy Passingham and Mike DeLeVergne at goalie this weekend. The team’s regular No. 1 goalie, Jordan Ruby (18-5-2, 2.17 goals-against average), remains out after his wife gave birth to a son last weekend, and Ruby is expected to rejoin to team Sunday but not be ready to play until the following weekend. Due to that, Macon will look to Passingham (6-2-1, 2.66 GAA) and DeLaVergne (1-1, 4.00) this weekend.
“I think they’re both very capable goaltenders. We know what Troy can bring, and Mike came up and played pretty good (Sunday),” Kerr said. “(Ruby) will be coming back in on Sunday and probably not ready to play until the next week. We feel pretty good about what we have with our goaltenders.”
DeLaVergne started last weekend’s games as Kerr stuck with him after Macon allowed a season-high seven goals Saturday night against Columbus. DeLaVergne bounced back in a big way, coming within 90 seconds of a shutout the next day against Knoxville.
“At this level, it’s what you get paid to do and you just want to do your job and be as successful as you can,” DeLaVergne said. “For me, that’s stopping the puck.”
The ability to bounce back is most certainly a good trait for any player to have, as the decision to give DeLaVergne another chance in goal paid off and helped snap a three-game losing streak.
“It’s a funny game. The game is about confidence and you want to give guys as much confidence as you can. He had a tough outing, but as a coach, we wanted to throw him back in the fire,” Kerr said. “Sometimes, it’s a situation where you just want to throw a guy back on the horse and get him going.”
This story was originally published March 23, 2017 at 5:40 PM with the headline "Stage set for first-place showdown between Macon and Huntsville."