Macon Mayhem ready to return to home ice

The Macon Mayhem are ready to get back on the home ice after finally beginning the 2025-26 season last week, and expectations for the coming year are high down at the Macon Coliseum.

The Mayhem finished last season 20-31-5 with 45 points last season, good for ninth out of 10 teams in the SPHL. It was head coach Dave Pszenyczny’s first year at the helm, and he thinks there’s plenty to build on with the roster Macon has assembled for his second season as head coach.

“This early on, it’s all about getting back into a routine. I think things are a little further ahead than they were this time last year,” Pszenyczny said of his team getting into the swing of things just one game into the season. “With the guys we have returning, they understand the system we have in place. They know what we’re trying to build here.

“Those guys can help the college guys who just finished at school and are beginning their pro careers, show them how to take care of their bodies and play this schedule. The guys returning take a load off the coaching staff, too.”

The returning players are valuable in a league like the SPHL. Formerly known as the Southern Professional Hockey League but now only called by the acronym, the SPHL formed in 2004 and is three levels down from the NHL and not affiliated with the professional league. 

Roster churn is more frequent in the SPHL. Macon lost Dan Winslow, a team captain and core piece of the team last season, along with several other players, but Pszenyczny feels the Mayhem have something to work with.

“I think this group feels a little closer from the start. Our leadership group has taken control of that, the guys are representing the community and the organization properly,” the head coach said. “It’s kinda cliche, but it feels like we’re building a culture here. Everyone seems invested right now.”

It helps that Macon, albeit through only one game so far, appears to have a very strong defense and a lethal tandem at goaltender. The Mayhem brought back both longtime team player and talented goalie Josh Boyko and second netminder Bailey Brkin, who the Mayhem acquired via trade last season.

“It’s like a catch-22 when you have two guys who are good enough to be No. 1 in goal,” Pszenyczny said of his goaltending duo. “Neither one of them has an ego. They’re both really skilled and at this point it’s more about what’s best for the team … so they’re both ready to go whenever. They might not play all the games they want to, but they keep each other fresh.”

The head coach said that freshness was especially crucial because of the Mayhem’s travel schedule, which often necessitates playing a game in the Central Time Zone on a Friday before the team must fly home and play a home game back in EST the following Saturday.

The team’s defense should help the goaltenders as well, according to Pszenyczny, with the squad able to clear the defensive zone reliably. 

This was on display in Macon’s first game of the season against the Pensacola Ice Flyers on Oct. 18 on the road, which saw the Mayhem tie the game at 1-1 in the third period with a Matteo Ybarra goal — the left wing scored on a funky shot from the left side of the ice behind the goal line — before eventually losing in a shootout.

“Things kind of started slow in that game, but you really saw us get going and play how we want to play in those second and third periods,” Pszenyczny said. “Obviously you really want to get those full two points, but you like to see things work as the game goes on.”

In addition to returning players like Jake Raleigh, Justin Kelley, Alex Cohen, duo of goaltenders and others, newcomers look to figure into the Mayhem’s success this year. 

One newcomer that could help on the offensive side — Macon was last in the SPHL in goals scored last season — is Bobby Price. The 25-year-old forward performed well in college at Division III Trine University and was equally impressive in a small sample size in the FPHL,  league below the SPHL, at the tailend of last year. Price netted eight points in six games of regular season play, then averaged a point per game in the postseason.

Pszenyczny was not so preoccupied with stats, though, continuing to emphasize the culture of the team. The Macon Mayhem’s dedicated fanbase — a more dedicated hockey faithful than one might expect from a city in the South — help craft that culture, the coach said.

“They’re a very blue collar crowd, they just like seeing hard work on the ice. They rally behind these players that just bring their lunch pails, whether its blocking a shot or getting in a fight. That’s the culture we’re trying to emulate, you just go to work every day. The fans are embracing that,” Pszenyczny said.

That fanbase should be out in full force for Macon’s first home game of the season on Saturday, as the Mayhem face the Huntsville Havoc with puck drop set for 6 p.m. The Havoc defeated the Roanoke Rail Yard Dogs 4-2 in their first game last week, with an impressive three goals in the third period.