The Mission City Outlaws are riding a three game winning streak and have now risen to second place in the Pacific Junior Hockey League’s Harold Brittain conference.
Mission opened the week with a bit of a scare, needing overtime to dispose of the lowly Surrey Knights 5-4 in Surrey on Nov. 21.
The point Surrey earned from the overtime loss was just the third point the club has collected this season and they remain winless at 0-22-0-3.
Mission’s Tristan Takats scored the lone goal of the first period, connecting on the power play at 15:19, and then Dylan Devers put the Outlaws up 2-0 at 6:44 of the second period. Surrey scored a power play goal of their own before the second was done to make it 2-1.
Devers scored again, this time on the power play, to put the Outlaws up 3-1 at 5:18 of the third, but the Knights fought back. Surrey scored two goals in four minutes to tie the game up at 12:54, but one minute later Kyle Sackmann put Mission back up. The Knights then scored a goal with 31 seconds left in the game to lock the game at 4-4 and send it to the extra frame.
Outlaws defenceman Dawson Reinfjell emerged as the overtime hero, scoring at 2:38 of the fifth period.
Takats, Reinfjell, Devers and Dylan Tonks all recorded multi-point games, and Outlaws goalie Isaac Elias made 28 saves to record the win. Mission outshot Surrey 48-32 in the contest.
Things went much smoother when the Outlaws returned to the Mission Leisure Centre on Saturday, when they dominated the Grandview Steelers 5-1.
Mission jumped out to a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes, as goals from Blake Clease and Devers set the pace. Grandview scored early into the second, but Sackmann put the Outlaws up 3-1 after two.
The third was all Mission, as Mackenzie Adams and Dylan Stoltz put the Outlaws up 5-1.
Devers had a three-point night and was named the game’s first star, while Justin Hargrave and Stoltz collected two points apiece. Mission goalie Daniel Zuvic stopped 29 shots in the win.
Hargrave continues to keep pace in the PJHL scoring race, and he sits 19th in the league in points with 27. Rookie sensation Clease remains tied for tops in the PJHL in rookie goal scoring and leads the Outlaws with 13.
The Outlaws record improved to 12-11-2-1. Mission hosts the Wolf Pack at the MLC on Saturday. Face-off for is at 6:45 p.m.