Ben Lypka
Abbotsford News
After starting November on a high note, the Mission City Outlaws hit a wall.
Mission dropped a pair of games last week to fall eight points out of third place in the Harold Brittain conference.
They hit the road on Wednesday to take on Aldergrove, but got lit up 8-2 by the Kodiaks.
Outlaws goalie Matthew Trulsen had stood on his head to stop all but three of 55 Kodiaks shots back on Nov. 4 and take that game into overtime (a 3-2 win for the Kodiaks).
However, the Kodiaks had his number on Wednesday as the Kodiaks scored on eight of 42 shots on Trulsen.
The Kodiaks again outshot the Outlaws, 42-23, and scored on four of 10 power plays, while the Outlaws managed one goal in eight power plays.
The Kodiaks opened the scoring in the first period on the power play, but Outlaws forward Michael Holub evened it up before the end of the first period to make it 1-1 going into the second.
Mission’s Nathan McCarnan scored in the second period on the power play to take the lead but it was short-lived as Kodiak Matt Oliver notched a pair to take it to a 3-2 lead.
The third period was all Kodiaks, as they scored five unanswered goals for the 8-2 win.
The Outlaws then hosted the Richmond Sockeyes on Saturday, but a pair of goals near the end of the first period led to a 3-1 loss.
McCarnan got Mission up 1-0 early after being set up by Justin Bowerman, but the Sockeyes scored two goals in the period’s final 4:30 to go up 2-1 after one.
Richmond added a power play goal in the second period to earn the 3-1 win.
Outlaws goalie Keaton Dyck was solid in between the pipes, making 34 saves in the loss.
The pair of losses drops Mission’s record to six wins, 11 losses and two overtime losses this season.
The Outlaws get another crack at the Kodiaks on home ice on Saturday. Faceoff is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. at the Mission Leisure Centre.
– with files from Kurt Langmann, Aldergrove Star