Shawn Skelly's hat trick lifts Macon Mayhem to key win
With every game being pivotal for the Macon Mayhem's playoff chances, the stage is set for big-time performances when they are needed in a large way.
Macon right winger Shawn Skelly jumped on the opportunity Sunday afternoon at the Macon Coliseum, registering the first hat trick in team history in a 4-2 victory over Huntsville. Skelly's final goal came with 1:24 to play after the Havor pulled their goalie. The Mayhem broke a tie at 2 earlier in the third on a slap shot from the slot by Zach Josepher at the 16:56 mark.
The win gives Macon, which began a six-game homestand with two wins in three contests, a five-point edge on Columbus for the final playoff spot and also moves the Mayhem within a point of sixth-place Louisiana and three points of Huntsville, which is in fifth place. Macon has five games remaining in the regular season to the six of Louisiana and eight of Columbus.
FOUR WHO MATTERED
Skelly: Cemented his spot as the leading scorer in the SPHL with his hat trick. He gave the Mayhem a 2-0 lead with a slapshot from the left side 16:14 into the first period with the second one being 9:29 into second period. He put the win away with 1:24 to go in the contest with his empty netter.
Josepher: Before the defenseman's heroics, the game appeared headed for overtime. That changed with 3:04 to play when his slap shot from the right slot beat Huntsville goalie Ryan De melo.
Travis Howe: He got the Mayhem going in more ways than one in the second period. He energized both the Macon bench and the home crowd when he and Huntsville's Jeremy Beirnes dropped the gloves for a fight on the faceoff to start the second period. Howe also assisted on Skelly's second-period goal.
Jeff Jones: His power-play goal 13:35 into the second period got Huntsville on the board.
OBSERVATION
Strong in goal: A strong presence is goal is a must for any playoff push, and that's what the Mayhem are getting right now in Garrett Bartus. He stopped 25 of 27 shots. Bartus has now allowed three goals in the past seven periods. He played a pivotal role, turning back multiple Havoc scoring chances, including off of faceoffs in the Macon zone.
THEY SAID IT
Skelly on the hat trick: "Obviously, anytime somebody gets a hat trick, it's a good thing to do. It's just a huge two points for our team going for a playoff spot, every win is huge. To get two points (Sunday) was pretty enormous."
Skelly on Huntsville coming back from a 2-0 deficit: "We got that 2-0 lead, and I think we kind of sat back and let them come at us a little harder than we anticipated. We came in at the second intermission and pretty much said that we had 20 minutes to put together a game and get two points, and we did that."
Kerr on the Mayhem's two wins in the past three games: "We played desperate. We have to play desperate. I don't think we were as sharp (Thursday) as we were on Friday, but we still played pretty well. Overall, it was a good weekend. We have to get some rest and get ready for another big weekend."
Kerr on Skelly: "He's a veteran-type guy who loves playoffs and enjoys playing in the playoffs. Players like that usually find a different gear this time of year and start picking it up to a huge degree. He's done that. Our guys are following his lead, he's been very positive on the bench and very positive pushing our guys in the right direction."
Kerr on the goal by Joespher: "I've been telling guys all year, it's amazing what happens when you get pucks on the net. If you get pucks on the net and get guys going toward the net, that's where it begins. Hopefully, guys see that it works and happens."
WHAT'S NEXT?
Macon hosts Pensocola on Thursday.
Race For The Playoffs
Top eight teams in the standings qualify for SPHL playoffs
Louisiana
Position in standings: Seventh
Points: 48
Games remaining: Six
Games against teams in first or second place in the standings: One
Macon
Position in standings: Eighth
Points: 47
Games remaining: Five
Games against teams in first or second place in standings: None
Columbus
Position in standings: Ninth
Points: 42
Games remaining: Eight
Games against teams in first or second place in standings: Three
This story was originally published March 20, 2016 at 8:45 PM with the headline "Shawn Skelly's hat trick lifts Macon Mayhem to key win ."