Ben Lypka
Mission Record
Offence wasn’t an issue for the Mission City Outlaws last week.
The Outlaws exploded for 10 goals against the Surrey Knights in Mission on Friday, and then five more on the road against the Port Moody Panthers on Saturday to gain three of four points.
The goals came early and often on Friday, with Mission pouring in six goals in the opening period.
Brenden Saether, Michal Holub, Justin Bowerman, Kyle Lennea (two) and Kyle Mooney all tallied for the Outlaws.
Lennea added two more in the second period, with Matthew Mason and captain Ryan Sharma adding goals in the third.
Matthew Trulsen made 18 saves to record his second shutout and seventh win of the season.
It was a remarkable re-debut for Lennea, who was dealt from the Abbotsford Pilots back to Mission on Jan. 10.
The 20-year-old had previously played parts of four seasons with the Outlaws, and was a key part of the 2016 Pacific Junior Hockey League championship team.
He was traded back to Mission along with defender Haydn Downing in exchange for defenceman Tyler Wickman.
Lennea recorded six points in his return to the Outlaws, with Holub, Sharma, Saether, Mason, Bowerman, Michael Sande and Sammy Zeinab all having multi-point games.
Trulsen told the Outlaws blog that the shutout was a team effort.
“The boys played well in front of me,” he said. “They worked hard, earned every goal they got. Every blocked shot they took, I appreciate. It was a good game, we played well and I enjoyed it.”
Outlaws head coach Brad Veitch said his team managed to control the Knights.
“What we’ve been working on in practice – puck possession, staying in control,” he said of the win. “I thought the boys did really well in those areas, especially early in the game.”
Mission then travelled to Port Moody for a rare Saturday night game on the road, falling 6-5 in overtime to the Panthers.
The Panthers scored the lone goal of the first period, as they connected on a shorthanded goal, but the floodgates opened for both teams in the second.
The clubs traded four goals apiece, with the Panthers skating out of the second period with a 5-4 lead. Mission got goals from Nicolas Bizzutto (two), Mooney and Zeinab.
Mooney then scored the lone goal of the third period to tie the game and send it to overtime. The Panthers scored at 3:52 of the extra frame to earn the win. Outlaws goalie Keaton Dyck stopped 21 shots in a losing cause.
Mission’s record now stands at 14 wins, 19 losses and three overtime losses, and they remain in fourth place in the Harold Brittain conference.
The Outlaws are five points behind the third-place Ridge Meadows Flames with eight games to go in the Pacific Junior Hockey League season. Mission has an opportunity to close the gap on Saturday, when they host the Flames. Faceoff is set for 6:45 p.m. at the Mission Leisure Centre.