The Kansas City Mavericks clinched home ice in the first round of the 2025 Kelly Cup Playoffs with a 4-1 victory over the Wichita Thunder Saturday.
Four different goal scorers and a strong performance from goaltender Jack LaFontaine powered the Mavericks attack on Racing Night at Cable Dahmer Arena.
Sporting specialty racing-themed jerseys, the Mavericks delivered a full-team effort in the win.
Following a scoreless first period, David Cotton got the Mavericks on the board early in the second, burying a rebound at 1:57 off a shot from Thomas Farrell, with Justin MacPherson also adding an assist.
Damien Giroux increased the KC lead to 2-0 at 14:24, perfectly tipping a wrist shot from Nate Knoepke past Thunder goalie Trevor Gorsuch. Zack Trott earned the secondary assist.
Wichita answered before the period closed, as Reid Irwin scored his first pro goal at 17:18. Kobe Walker made a great pass to him across the zone and Irwin beat LaFontaine to cut the lead to 2-1.
The third period completely belonged to the Mavericks. Dalton Duhart restored the two-goal lead at 7:22, using a slick backhand move to finish off a setup from Owen Cole and Casey Carreau.
Then, at 12:17, Nathan Dunkley capped the scoring with a snipe off the rush, wiring a shot into the top corner off a feed from Jackson Berezowski and Cotton.
LaFontaine stopped 17 of 18 shots to earn the win, while Gorsuch suffered the loss, saving 25 shots.
Kansas City outshot Wichita 29-18 and controlled pace throughout the night. Wichita was 0-for-3 on the power play. Kansas City didn't have a chance on the man advantage.
The Mavericks return to action on Wednesday, Apr. 2, hosting the Rapid City Rush at 7:05 Pm at Cable Dahmer Arena. Wichita closes out a four-in-five on Sunday afternoon at 3 Pm against the Iowa Heartlanders.