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Macon Mayhem

Late-Season Glance: Macon Mayhem

by
Brad Harrison
May 3, 2021

MACON, Ga. – The last team to win both the William Coffey Cup and President’s Cup in the same season is the Macon Mayhem. Macon’s already taken care of one of those tasks by clinching the best regular-season record in the SPHL. Not only that, but Macon’s .810 winning percentage is the best regular-season mark in SPHL history, as is its 2.00 GAA for the year.

Now, they will look to finish the job this week as the SPHL playoffs begin.

Macon Mayhem

Record: 32-6-4, 68 points

Post-Season Outlook: As Mayhem head coach Kevin Kerr noted last week, everyone is 0-0 this week. As we have seen in the past two SPHL postseasons, a regular-season title does not count for much of anything in the postseason. The goal for Macon is simple, win four games and it’s the SPHL champions for the second time in four SPHL postseasons.

What’s Going Right: An awful lot, to be honest. Macon has the luxury of the top goalie combo in the SPHL by way of Ryan Ruck and Jake Theut who have posted respective GAAs of 2.07 and 1.74. Having that kind of depth is something that a price tag cannot be placed on. The same prowess is present on the other end of the ice. Mason Baptista’s on-ice ability and experience as a whole has paid dividends, and he is among the league’s top three in points and top five in goals. Despite playing in just 25 games, Brian Bowen’s 29 points are good for among the SPHL’s top ten. Toss in an additional scoring punch from Jason Tackett, and this team has no shortage of players who can score, and the Mayhem leading the league in goals scored is a reflection of that. The Mayhem have also been tough to deal with on the other end of the ice with three defensemen among the league’s top seven in points – Casey Johnson, Nick Minerva, and Nate Kallen.

What Needs Work: The biggest challenge for Macon is staying focused and not being content. The good news is that with veterans such as Stathis Soumelidis, Minvera, and Baptista, the postseason is nothing new. If Macon plays on the level it has been, odds are strong that the title returns to the Cherry Blossom Capital.