MACON, Ga. – The Macon Mayhem may be falling short of the postseason this year. But with three games left to go in the season, all next weekend on the road, the Mayhem gave their fans one riveting thrill to end their home campaign on Sunday, pummelling Quad City 7-3 as Aaron Aragon registered a hat trick.
Macon, 4-5-1 in its last ten contests, got Sunday’s win after an overtime loss on Friday to Birmingham and a 8-2 defeat on Saturday.
“I reiterated to them that we owed the fans a good game because we didn’t (Saturday). The main aspect was that we owed each other and were playing for each other,” Mayhem head coach Nick Niedert said. “We’ve come so far since October, and I told the guys that I could not be more proud of them. I’m extremely proud of them and could not be happier with the guys. They have not quit all year, backs have been against the wall, I could not be prouder.”
A tentative start was not in either team’s intention on Sunday afternoon. Within the game’s first 10:22, both teams matched one another with a pair of goals, two from Quad City’s Leif Mattson and one each from Aragon and Rhett Kingston.
The pressure on both goalies – Macon’s Ben Churchfield and Quad City’s Sean Kuhn continued, with scores by Macon’s Devin Brink 11:52 into the first and Quad City’s Cole Golka at 12:50 evened things at 3-3.
Photo Credit: Bryan Meeks, FieldPass Hockey
The Mayhem wasted little time going out front in the second, needing a mere 51 seconds to go up 4-3 thanks to Hunter Bersani, but that 20-minute span would be marked by multiple stoppages due to extracurriculars on both sides. Golka and Tommy Munichiello took 2:37 into the fame to swap some healthy punches with one another, with Macon’s Sacha Roy and Quad City’s Troy Murray needing less than five minutes later to exchange similar pleasantries. Then, in the final minute of the second, Macon’s David Nippard and the Storm’s Patrick Gazich would trade blows after both nearly got into it earlier in the second.
Macon, which outshot Quad City 41-35, extended its lead in the third on Aragon’s second goal 4:46 in, and an empty-netter by Nippard and Aragon’s third goal in the final three minutes set the final margin.
“It’s unfortunate were’ not making the playoffs because of the run we’ve had here at the end,” Mayhem forward Caleb Cameron said.
The Mayhem conclude their season later this week, playing at Roanoke Thursday and Fayetteville on Friday and Saturday.
