KC Mavericks update: Teddy Bear Toss on tap, plus another important home stand

Zach Welch
·3 min read

An eventful week of Mavericks hockey came to a close with Kansas City picking up three points in the standings in three tough matchups with the defending conference champions.

Wednesday’s matchup between the Mavericks and Idaho Steelheads was one of the most exciting nights in recent Cable Dahmer Arena memory.

Kansas City secured a 7-5 victory behind a historic individual performance from Mavericks rookie Max Andreev. Fresh off his November ECHL Rookie of the Month award, he scored three goals and added an assist for a four-point night, the second-highest single-game point total in franchise history.

The Cornell alum’s three-goal performance marked the first Mavericks hat trick since October of 2022.

The 7-5 victory saw other notable performances from Mavericks players:

  • Forward Cole Coskey picked up two huge assists to give him 100 points for his professional career.

  • Rookie Cade Borchardt and David Cotton notched three assists apiece, with Patrick Curry picking up two goals.

  • Kyle Jackson and Nate Knoepke recorded the final two goals on the night, including the eventual game-winner from Knoepke.

The two teams met again on Friday night, and it was another wild night in Independence. Cotton led the Mavericks with a goal and two assists for his second-consecutive three-point night. Goals from Justin Nachbaur, Curry and Coskey saw the Mavericks take a 4-4 game into overtime.

But Idaho ended things quickly with a goal 14 seconds into the final frame. With the overtime loss, Kansas City picked up a point in the standings and three points in the first two games of the series.

Saturday night was Star Wars Night at Cable Dahmer Arena, with the biggest crowd of the season. More than 5,400 fans packed the barn and saw a tight matchup.

Both teams were dealing with their share of bumps and bruises while playing the second game of a back-to-back. A tight game saw Idaho pull away with a 1-0 victory.

Mavericks goaltender Cale Morris stopped 22 of 23 shots faced after playing all three games of the series.

The Mavericks currently sit at 16-6-1 (33 points), good for the third-highest point total in the ECHL this season.

Teddy Bear Toss

A staple of minor-league hockey, the Mavericks are hosting their annual Teddy Bear Toss game this Saturday, December 16, at 6 p.m. at Cable Dahmer Arena.

In partnership with Children’s Mercy Kansas City, fans are encouraged to bring new teddy bears to the game. As soon as the Mavericks score their first goal of the night, fans will throw their bears on the ice. All teddy bears with tags will be donated to Children’s Mercy Kansas City, with untagged bears going to Operation Breakthrough and the Salvation Army.

On the schedule for the Mavs

Mavericks players will be getting in the holiday spirit, as they are scheduled to spend Sunday evening at the Enchant Christmas Festival in Kansas City, Kansas.

On the ice, Kansas City has five home games remaining in December, with three coming up this week.

The Mavericks host division-rival Allen Americans for games on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, with the team celebrating its Teddy Bear Toss game on Saturday.

Mavericks single-game and multi-game ticket plans are available at kcmavericks.com or via the Mavericks ticket office at 816-252-7825.