LaFontaine named Warrior Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Week

by Bill Althaus, Grain Valley News


Kansas City Mavericks goaltender Jack LaFontaine is so excited - and it has nothing to with his recent honor as he was named the Warrier Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Week.

He and his fiancee Riley added a new member to their family - an Australian Bernadoodle, whick prompted one of the league's top goalies to say, "We're glued to him."

His name is David, after legendary rocker David Bowie, and he's settling in nicely with his new doggie mom and dad.

"David's the best dog,' LaFontaine said. "We're having so much fun with him."

LaFontaine has also been having fun in the net for the 31-12-4-1 Mavericks, who sit atop the Mountain Division with 67 points.

LaFontaine went 3-0-0 with one shutout, a 0.96 goals-against average and a save percentage of .962 in three appearances last week.
 
"I can't say enough good things about Jack," Mavericks coach Tad O'Had said. "He was excellent last week and has been excellent all season. He played when he was sick and the competitive side of Jack helped him get those three wins."

The 27-year-old turned aside 20 shots in a 6-2 win at Allen on Wednesday, made 34 saves in a 3-1 win over Tulsa on Friday and stopped all 22 shots in a 1-0 shootout win against the Oilers on Saturday.
 
Under contract to Coachella Valley of the American Hockey League, LaFontaine is 13-4-1 in 19 appearances with the Mavericks this season, ranking seventh in the ECHL with a 2.20 goals-against average. He has also gone 1-0-1 in two outings with the Firebirds.

"He has elevated his game, and in turn, our team play was elevated," O'Had said. "Our defense has been very solid, and we had enough offense to win those three games."

"The guys have been playing great in front of me," said LaFontaine, who always turns the spotlight in the direction of his teammates. "I don't see being in the net as a challenge, I see it as an opportunity. I have to be up to the task mentally and physically and every time I play I see it as an opportunity to get better and to help the Mavericks win a game.

The Mavericks extended their point streak to eight with a commanding 6-2 win over the Americans at Allen, Texas Wednesday. A fast start propelled the Mavericks to victory as they scored three goals in the opening period and controlled play throughout the night.

Kansas City wasted no time getting on the board. Chase Spencer opened the scoring at 7:18 of the first period, assisted by Nolan Sullivan and David Cotton. The Mavericks continued to apply pressure, adding another goal at 15:07 when Cade Borchardt buried a feed from Max Andreev and Justin MacPherson. Before the period ended, Damien Giroux extended the lead to 3-0 at 18:59, capitalizing on an assist from Luke Loheit and Chase Spencer.

Allen responded early in the second period as Brayden Watts put the Americans on the board at 1:38. However, Kansas City responded at 14:53, with Giroux netting his second goal of the night, set up by Cotton and MacPherson. The Mavericks continued their offensive push, as Casey Carreau added another at 18:59, assisted by Andreev and Marcus Crawford, giving Kansas City a 5-1 lead heading into the final frame.

In the third period, the Mavericks struck again at 6:56 when MacPherson found the back of the net, assisted by Charlie Wright and Cotton. Allen managed a late goal at 19:25, but it was too little, too late.

Kansas City outshot Allen 33-22, including a dominant 14-shot first period. LaFontaine turned aside 20 of 22 shots.

The night also saw a franchise milestone, as Borchardt moved into fifth place in Mavericks franchise history with 55 career goals.

Cotton scored twice to propel the Mavericks to a 3-1 win over the Tulsa Oilers Friday night at Cable Dahmer Arena. The Mavericks overcame a slow start and leaned on Cotton’s scoring touch and strong goaltending from LaFontaine to secure the victory.

Tulsa struck first at 2:18 of the opening period, as Austin Albrecht scored to give the Oilers a 1-0 lead. The Mavericks responded late in the period when Cotton found the back of the net at 16:40. 

After a scoreless second period, Cotton delivered again at 3:54 of the third, scoring the go-ahead goal with assists from Crawford and Jackson Berezowski. Less than four minutes later, Giroux added an insurance goal at 7:28, set up by Cam Morrison and MacPherson, sealing the Mavericks' win. 
The Oilers outshot the Mavericks 35-33, but LaFontaine stood tall, making 34 saves to earn the win.
The Mavericks secured a thrilling 1-0 shootout victory over the Oilers Saturday night Cable Dahmer Arena, with Borchardt scoring the lone shootout goal.

The Mavericks outshot Tulsa 29-22 but couldn't solve Oilers goalkeeper Talyn Boyko until Borchardt sealed the win in the shootout.

Adding to the night’s excitement, the Mavericks celebrated their successful 2023-24 season during the first intermission by raising banners for their Brabham Cup title, Mountain Division championship and Western Conference championship.

"We have 10 players on this year's team who were with us last season, and it's long overdue to have them look up in the arena and see those banners," O'Had added.

With the win, the Mavericks extended their point streak to 10 games and maintained their position atop the Mountain Division standings.  

Kansas City's 10-game point streak came to an end Sunday afternoon with a 2-1 loss to the Tulsa Oilers at the BOK Center. 

Kansas City struck first when Giroux scored at 1:56 of the first period, assisted by Cam Morrison and Jackson Berezowski. However, Tulsa responded quickly with goals from Austin Albrecht (9:47) and Olivier Dame-Malka (13:38) to take the lead. 

Despite outshooting the Oilers 34-33, the Mavericks couldn’t find the equalizer through the final two periods.  

Logan Neaton, making his season debut for the Mavericks, stopped 31 of 33 shots on goal while Boyko turned away 33 shots. 

​The game marked a milestone for Mavericks’ head athletic trainer Nick Potter, who celebrated his 650th game with the team.

Photo credit: Kansas City Mavericks
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