The Mayhem take down the Birmingham Bulls in the shootout 4-3 in front of over 4,000 fans. Watching the start of this game with no context, you’d have no idea that these two teams had just each completed tenuous 2-game road trips. The skaters were flying and the defense was top-notch. Goalie Michael Bullion made his debut in a Mayhem sweater and impressed the record crowd in the Coliseum. It looked like the scoreless stalemate would never end until Jake Pappalardo broke the deadlock with eight seconds left in the first and the Mayhem went into the 2nd down a goal.
The Mayhem came out looking just as sharp as they had in the first. Bullion continued to impress turning away all 14 shots he faced in the period. The Mayhem only posted five shots on the opposing Ben Churchfield but in an exhibition of “quality over quantity”, Tommy Munichiello beat the Bull’s netminder and evened up the game going into the 3rd.
After two tight periods, the ice opened up in the third. Birmingham scored first with a puck that bounced off of three different players in front of the net before finding its way past Bullion. The Mayhem responded in turn when Aaron Aragon banged home a rebound off of a Caleb Cameron shot to even it up at two. That score held for just over three minutes before Pappalardo beat Bullion for the second time in the game to retake the lead. Not to be deterred, Mayhem forward Rhett Kingston shook his defender in the corner, worked his way to the front of the net, and rifled one by Churchfield. Neither team gave an inch as regulation ended in a 3-3 tie.
Overtime began with a bang as the Mayhem quickly found themselves on a 4-on-3 power play but their efforts were unsuccessful. A couple more fruitless attempts from both squads resulted in the first shootout the Macon Coliseum ice has seen this season. Bullion was perfect on all four shots he faced in the shootout. On the other end, Jake Goldowski and Rhett Kingston found cracks in Churchfield and sent the Macon faithful home happy.
The Mayhem will travel to Fayetteville next weekend for a Friday showdown against the Marksmen. They won’t return home until Friday, February 24th when Georgia Grown helps celebrate Country MOO-sic night. The 3-game home series will also include Miracle Night on the 25th and Scout Night on the 26th. For more information and tickets, visit maconmayhem.com.
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