By Bill Althaus
The Examiner

Missouri Mavericks coach Scott Hillman sipped a cup of coffee, checked the messages on his phone, clasped his hands behind his head and leaned back in the chair in his office at the Independence Events Center and talked about his team.

“In all the years I played, and in the past two years of coaching this team, I have never been a part of practice sessions like the ones we had this week,” Hillman said as his second-year squad braces for tonight’s 8:05 p.m. (KCWJ, 1030 AM) opening game of the Central Hockey League’s Turner Conference semifinal series at Colorado.

“I can say with complete honesty, this team is better today than it has ever been. The intensity, the desire, the way the boys are playing together out on the ice – the chemistry – it’s all there.

“Now, we have to go to Colorado and play smart. I think the final period against Wichita proved to the boys that senseless penalties can lead to bad results. It was a lesson learned, and it didn’t cause our playoff journey to end, so it was a great learning experience.”

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