By Bill Althaus
The Examiner

The Missouri Mavericks enjoyed what might be remembered as the finest weekend in the history of the three-year old franchise.

The Mavs found a way to get past an old friend and downed the visiting Fort Wayne Komets Sunday in a 4-3 shootout thriller that ranks among the most memorable wins in team history.

“When I woke up this morning,” said goaltender Charlie Effinger, who was fresh off a 3-0 shutout win at Bloomington on Saturday night and the ensuing six-hour bus ride back to Independence, “the first thing I thought was, ‘Fest’s back – we’re playing my boy Gerry.”

He was referring to Gerry Festa, the popular backup goalie who was recently traded from Missouri to Fort Wayne (see related story).

Festa was solid for the Komets on Sunday night, but Effinger’s gritty performance and another stellar third-period comeback helped the Mavericks win their sixth in a row at home and seventh in their last eight games – including a dramatic 4-3 win over the Allen Americans Friday night. Allen is in first place in the Berry Conference and Fort Wayne sits atop the Turner Conference.

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