The Mission City Outlaws made a number of roster moves this week, as they look to the future and try to use some new blood to make a playoff push.
The club dealt leading scorer Kyle Mooney and goalie Matthew Trulsen to the Port Moody Panthers for future considerations on Nov. 29.
Mooney had collected 26 points in 25 games for Mission this season, and the 20-year-old contributed 73 points in 100 games for the Outlaws over the past three seasons. Trulsen had been the Outlaws starting goalie, putting together a 4-14 record this season and compiling a .912 save percentage.
The next day the Outlaws traded forwards Maximllian Corazza and Tristyn Olson to the Grandview Steelers for futures. Corazza and Olson were second and third on team scoring before the move, respectively collecting 21 and 19 points. Corazza was also the Outlaws leading scorer last season.
Mission continued making moves on Dec. 1, dealing defender Andrew Berkelaar to the Sicamous Eagles and Noah Wiebe to the Abbotsford Pilots, with future considerations coming back in both moves. Wiebe, the last remaining member of the 2016 Outlaws championship rejoins the Pilots team he captained last season.
Joining the team is forward Zachary Valana and defenceman Patrick Howatt. Valana comes to Mission from the Delta Ice Hawks, while Howatt previously played for the Kamloops Storm.
On the ice, the Outlaws fell 3-0 to the Aldergrove Kodiaks on home ice on Saturday.
The Kodiaks scored twice in the opening frame and once in the second to cruise to the win. Mission managed just 20 shots in the loss, while Outlaws goalie Isaac Elias made 38 saves in a losing cause.
Mission bounced back on Dec 3, posting a 6-4 win over the Panthers on the road.
The Outlaws came back from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits to earn the win. Mission got a pair of goals from newcomer Valana in the first period, and then Jakob Mainhout, Dawson Campbell and Justin Hargrave put Mission up 5-3 after two periods. Arman Grewal added a power play goal in the third.
Elias stopped 31 shots for his third win this season.
Mission then were blanked again by the Delta Ice Hawks, falling 4-0 in Ladner on Tuesday. The Outlaws fired just 12 shots at the Delta goalie, with Elias making 35 saves in the loss.
Mission’s record now sits at 7-17-3, and they sit in fifth place in the Pacific Junior Hockey League’s Harold Brittain conference and 11th overall in the league.
The Outlaws next host the Richmond Sockeyes on Saturday. Face-off is set for 6:45 p.m. at the MLC.