INDEPENDENCE, Mo. - The Kansas City Mavericks (1-0-0-0) routed the Allen Americans (0-1-0-0) to start the season, taking a 5-1 win over the Mountain Division rival in front of a sell-out crowd of 5,800 at Silverstein Eye Centers Arena.
Kansas City scored early and often, featuring a three-goal second period that proved to be enough cushion to cruise to a win.
The Mavericks got a jump on the visiting Americans, captain Rocco Carzo finding the back of the net just 3:32 into the first frame. The guests got their answer 10 minutes later as Casey Pierro-Zabotel went top shelf to knot the game at one apiece before the break.
Kansas City filled the net in the third, striking three times in the frame to build a comfortable lead through 40 minutes of play. The first lamp-lighter of the second came from newcomer David Dziurzynski to burst the flood gates, and Justin Breton and Mark Cooper followed suit to put the game out of reach at 4-1 through 40 minutes.
Jared VanWormer put the exclamation mark on the decisive win with the lone strike in the third, giving the final score of 5-1.
The Mavericks will hit the road next weekend for a pair of contests with the Rapid City Rush on Saturday and Sunday, and will follow with a road game at Tulsa on Friday, Oct. 26 before returning home on the 27th against the Indy Fuel.
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About the Kansas City Mavericks: The Mavericks are members of the ECHL- the Premier 'AA' Hockey League in North America. Founded in 2009, the Mavericks are entering their landmark 10th season in team history. The Mavericks won the Brabham Cup after posting a league-leading record of 52-15-5 during the 2015-16 ECHL season and have been honored with multiple community and league awards including the Harry S. Truman Special Community Service Recognition Award, the Bud Poile Governors' Cup (CHL), and the CHL Franchise of the Year Award for four consecutive seasons.