Eruption: Mustangs dominate Palmer 9-0.
Eight score goals.
LITTLETON -- It was a blowout and they needed one.
Mullen’s Mustangs dominated Air Academy 9-0 in nonconference play on Friday night in front of another pretty packed and loud segment of The Edge Ice Arena.
The Mustangs levelled their record at 1-1 at the expense of the Kadets, who Mullen head coach Devon Brady called “young and in rebuild mode.”
He knows all about it, although he added that he “did not know the last time we had a shutout. We’re happy with it and we played well once we settled in after being a little sloppy early.”
Junior Connor Mahon again was sharp in goal, halting 23 shots, most notably a glove save that swiped a sure score in the third period.
But Mahon also finally enjoyed significant offensive support as eight Mustangs found the back of the net – two shorthanded and seven unassisted – and led by the two goals off the stick of sophomore Nick Gilbert.
Mullen began a bit slowly, yet still led 2-0 after the first period. They made it 7-0 after two and had the Kadets under the mercy rule and running clock in the third.
Freshman defenseman Truman Boettiger managed his first career goal on his first career shot 2 minutes, 57 seconds into the second period to make it 4-0 and the rout was on for a younger team that welcomed and needed it.
“It was pretty sweet; I got lucky, though,” Boettiger said. “It was good because now in the next game we’ll be better. We’re more confident.
“We had a much better week of practice than the first one. I think we can build on it and be better for the next game.”
Other Mustangs scorers – John Baird, Utah Bryant, Aidan Cashman, Hunter Kear, Ashton Smaldone and Rob Witwer. Bryant, Gilbert and Smaldone had assists.
The Mustangs also binged on 47 shots on goal.
“We’ll take it,” Brady said. “We have bigger fish to fry and we have to come back to work on Monday. We had a really good week of practice, too, and I think they had a little chip on their shoulders once it got away (in last week’s late loss to Columbine). We played like we expected to … we just needed to get some confidence and feel good about ourselves.”
A nonconference matchup for the Mustangs awaits, on Friday, Dec. 14, at Big Bear-North against Castle View. The puck will drop at 7:30 p.m.
MULLEN 9, AIR ACADEMY 0
Air Academy 0 0 0 -- 0
Mullen 2 3 2 -- 9
SCORING
First period – 1, Hunter Kear (Nick Gilbert, Ashton Smaldone), 5:16; 2, Nick Gilbert (unassisted), 13:19.
Second period – 3, Rob Witwer (unassisted), 1:57; 4, Truman Boettiger (unassisted), 2:57; 5, John Baird (Utah Bryant), 4:30; 6, Utah Bryant (unassisted), 8:19; 7, Aidan Cashman (unassisted), 10:29.
Third period – 8, Ashton Smaldone (unassisted), 1:19; 9, Nick Gilbert (unassisted), 8:50.
Penalties – Air Academy, two for 4 minutes; Mullen, five for 13 minutes.
Power plays – Air Academy 0-for-5; Mullen 0-for-2.
Shots on goal – Air Academy 8-5-10 – 23; Mullen 18-17-12 – 47.
© 2020 Mullen High School. All Rights Reserved.