With the playoffs on us we entered the game in the 5th spot with no chance of moving up but with the potential to fall a spot or 2.  In our crosshairs is the always difficult Mavs team with Russ between the pipes.  Last time we played them back in 2023 we got the best of the Mavs with a 7-2 victory.  We will call scoring 7 on Russ a unicorn event and wasn't likely to happen again.  Missing a few key pieces this week with Frenchie opting to take his honeymoon week 23 of the season, Ron our lead shot blocker working closely with Stevie Y to make some trades for the Wings, and Will who led scoring last week decides he needs to rest after such a performance.  

We substitute Will "The Thrill" with Al "The Hair"  and it pays off early in the game.  Austin, Vinny and Al go to work early netting two goals in the first few minutes.  Mavs settle in and score one of their own but the AVA line goes back to work giving us our two-goal lead.  Rest of the game plays to a stalemate until Mavs pocket one from an odd angle with 2 minutes left in the game.  Mavs pull Russ to try to even the game but the vans in full playoff mode shut them down and ice the game.  

Hell of a job by the team in a tough physical playoff-style hockey game.  We were able to get a few on Russ early before he slammed the door on us for the remaining 2+ periods.  

Thanks to Al and Grashik subbing.  Jordan played great and kept the Mavs from mounting a comeback. 

Solid regular season by the team.  We had some ups and downs but we feel like we've regained the momentum we had midseason coming into the playoffs winning 3 straight.  

Next week we start pool play and our opponent is yet to be determined but it should be a good game.