For the first time this season, the Mission City Outlaws are hitting a rough patch.
The Outlaws have now lost three in a row, after falling 4-3 to the Aldergrove Kodiaks at the Mission Leisure Centre on Saturday.
Mission opened the scoring at 5:35, when Sammy Zeinab lit the lamp, but that would be the Outlaws’ only lead of the game. Aldergrove scored a power play goal mid-way through the first period, then added two more goals with the man advantage in the second period to lead 3-1 after 40 minutes.
Brock Padgham got the Outlaws within a goal just 20 seconds into the third period, but the Kodiaks made it a two-goal lead again just 76 seconds later. Mission’s Nicholas Thompson scored with 49 seconds left to draw the Outlaws within one, but it wouldn’t be enough.
Padgham recorded three points on the night, and was named the third star. Outlaws goalie Jeffrey Veitch made 24 saves in a losing cause. Mission only managed 20 shots on goal, including only two in the first period.
The Outlaws took on Richmond on Thursday, but results were not available at press time. They travel to North Vancouver to battle the Wolf Pack on Saturday, which is the club’s final game of 2015.
The Outlaws are then scheduled to play in the first-ever Winter Classic from Jan. 1 to 3 at Minoru Arena in Richmond. All 10 teams in the Pacific Junior Hockey League hit the ice twice over the three days.
Mission plays North Vancouver on Jan. 1 at 1 p.m., and then plays the Port Moody Black Panthers on Jan. 2 at 4 p.m. The event is part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the PJHL.
Visit pjhl.net for more details on the Winter Classic.