Mayhem Stunned in Third Period
Heading into the second intermission last night, the Mayhem were in very good shape. They had momentum, they had carryover time on a power play, they had built a 2-1 lead, they had owned a 19-1-0 record when entering the third period with a lead, and they had been one of the best third period teams in the SPHL. Things were looking up for them, until disaster suddenly struck and the team endured its poorest period of play all season.

In period three yesterday, the Mayhem were outshot 15-3 on paper. It would be just the fifth time in franchise history in which the team would be held to so few shots on goal in one period. The penalty kill buckled, allowing two power play goals in as many attempts. At even strength, Kyle Thacker scored a fluky goal from center ice and David Mazurek added a tap-in to give the Marksmen an insurance lead late in the contest. When it was all said and done, the Mayhem had been outscored 4-0 in the closing period. It would be the first time the Mayhem allowed four goals in a single period since February 27th of 2018 in a 6-4 loss against the Mississippi Riverkings.

The Matchup
Yesterday’s shocking result was a comeuppance of sorts for Fayetteville. Six days earlier, they had suffered an almost identical scenario at the hands of the Mayhem, who exploded for a four-goal third period to break open a tightly contested game and secure a home victory. Macon still possesses a substantial advantage in the head-to-head record over Fayetteville, going 6-2-0 against the Marksmen this season. However, on the road, the record is even at 2-2-0.

Should the Marksmen complete a sweep tonight, all of Macon’s successful efforts to pull ahead of them in the standings last weekend will be neutralized. Fayetteville sits a mere three points behind the Mayhem for fifth place, and are itching at the opportunity to pull themselves out from under Macon’s shadow. Coming off an underwhelming period of play last night, expect the Mayhem to start tonight’s game renewed and refocused, as they seek to move forward and continue their pursuit of home ice advantage in the first round of the postseason.

Power Play Prominence
One area in which the Mayhem have been consistently improving lately has been their power play. It has now converted in four consecutive games, going 5-for-19 (26.3%) over its last five outings. Even when the man advantage did not convert last night in Fayetteville, the puck was cycled around crisply and effectively, and almost the entire two minutes were spent with full possession in the attacking zone. Seth Ronsberg extended the power play scoring streak last night with his fifth goal of the season, doing so by simply crashing the front of the net and finding a loose puck. At the rate its going, Macon’s power play does not appear to be stuck in the bottom third of the SPHL for much longer.
 

Military Appreciation Weekend
Military Appreciation Weekend will be underway next Friday! The specialty jerseys have been designed and will be shared on Mayhem social media next week. The Mayhem look forward to honoring all active and retired service men and women who have defended the United States of America. Admission is $10 for military personnel on both Friday, March 15th and Saturday, March 16th when the Mayhem host the Huntsville Havoc for the last time this season. For ticket information, click here.