Mavericks blank Rapid City

by Bill Althaus, Grain Valley News

Kansas City Mavericks goaltender Jack LaFontaine stole the spotlight during a three-game series against the Rapid City Rush last week at Cable Dahmer Arena.

The Mavericks opened and closed the series with 5-0 victories. LaFontaine was in the net for both victories as he improved to 19-8-0 with a 2.72 goals against average and .912 save percentage. It was LaFontaine's fifth shutout of the season.

While fans were front row center for what is believed to be the first back-to-back shutout wins since coach Tad O'Had took over the team five years ago, they missed a special moment between LaFontaine and his father Jack, who attended all three games.

LaFontaine was named the No. 1 Star of the Game. After returning to the ice for a postgame interview, he posed for photos and signed autographs, before joining his father outside of the team locker room.

After a lengthy conversation, the two men hugged - like a proud father and a loving son - before LaFontaine headed back to join his teammates.

"My dad was my first goaltender coach," LaFontaine said, with a touch of pride in his voice. "I'm really happy he came to this series."

The 46-18-5 Mavericks finished the 2024-2025 regular season with a 23-9-3 home record. They were the first ECHL team to claim a playoff spot and now head to Idaho for a three-game set that begins at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

"We played 60 minutes of quality hockey tonight," O'Had said, after his team lost 6-3 to the Rush Friday night. "Playing three games against the same opponent has a playoff feel to it, and that's what we need as we head into the playoffs in a couple of weeks.

"Laffer was incredible tonight. I was thinking back, and I can't recall any goalie winning back-to-back shutouts since I've been in Kansas City. He's among the best goalies in the league, and for the past few weeks he's been the best."

LaFontaine quickly directed the spotlight toward his teammates when he was asked about the back-to-back shutouts.

"I had a team of warriors playing in front of me tonight," LaFontaine said. "They were busting their butts every shift and I didn't want to let them down. The defensemen never get the recognition they deserve, so it's nice to be able to praise them tonight."Chase Brand opened the scoring at 6:30, followed by tallies from Jackson Berezowski at 11:09 and Max Andreev at 19:03. The Mavericks outshot Rapid City 15-7 in the opening frame.

In the second period, Nolan Sullivan added to the lead at 3:11, assisted by Marcus Crawford, pushing the margin to 4-0.

"It was great to add to our lead," Sullivan said, smiling. "I got to play some defense tonight for the first time. And I liked it. Although, I like everything about tonight's game."

The Mavericks capped it off in the third when captain David Cotton struck at 18:04, finishing off a feed from Nathan Dunkley and Jackson Berezowski to seal the 5-0 win.

"When a goalie is playing like Laffer did tonight, you want to do anything you can to help him get the win," Cotton said, "and we wanted to help him get that second straight shutout. That doesn't happen much in this league.With the victory, Kansas City improves to 46-18-5 and finishes the regular season with a 23-9-3 home record. The Mavericks will close out the regular season next week with a three-game road series at Idaho, beginning Wednesday at 8:10 p.m. CT.
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Jack LaFontaine is congratulated after shutting out Rapid City 5-0 at Cable Dahmer Arena Saturday night. Photo credit: Bill Althaus

Jack LaFontaine greets fans after shutting out Rapid City 5-0 Saturday night at Cable Dahmer Arena. It was LaFontaine’s second straight shutout. Photo credit: Bill Althaus