MACON, Ga. – The Macon Mayhem took the ice on Thursday night to begin a three-game homestand as they hosted Birmingham.
As far as starts to a weekend go, it could not have gone much better for the Mayhem.
Michael Stiliadis allowed a season-low one goal on a night that also saw Zak Lambrecht register a hat trick as Macon scored six unanswered goals to win 6-1, breaking a six-game losing streak. Nigel Slade had a goal and two assists with Devin Brink and Cody Rodgers each having a pair of assists during a game in which the Mayhem blew things open with four second-period goals.
“The second period was good, it was obviously our best one, scoring-wise. I thought we strarted off a little slow, picked it up and stuck to our game plan,” Mayhem head coach Zac Desjardins said. “It was nice to see we got some goals that were set up with good passing and not just going off somebody’s skate. That was nice to see.”
Stiliadis gave up his only goal 7:37 into the contest by way of Colton Fletcher.
From there, it ended up being an all-Macon night.
Lambrecht got it started later in the first quarter, slapping a shot past Bulls goalie Hayden Stewart 14:01 into the first period.
The Mayhem were able to move the puck around and keep pressure on Stewart throughout the game, and that showed especially as the game went on. Overall, Macon outshot Birmingham 35-21.
Tangible results from that aggression showed 7:34 into the second period, when a loose puck in the slot was jumped on by Curtis Hansen, and his shot got by Stewart for a 2-1 lead and go-ahead goal 7:34 into the second. As it turned out, Macon was just getting started.
Within just 35 seconds, a pair of Mayhem goals turned a tight contest into a one-sided affair. The first of the two goals came as Caleb Cameron tapped in a loose puck from the doorstep, and he’d be quickly followed by Lambrecht being the prime benefactor of an errant puck in front of the net, making it 4-1.
Macon’s special teams came up big, as well. The Mayhem not only killed off four Bulls penalties, but also mounted a shorthanded goal. With less than a minute left in the second period, Brink coralled a puck near the neutral zone, setting up a 2-on-1 rush, feeding the puck to Slade who beat Stewart to make it 5-1.
Lambrecht added a goal in the third period, earning the hat trick and 6-1 win for Macon.
What next?
Macon welcomes Knoxville to Macon for a pair of games on Friday and Saturday. Friday’s game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start.
