Ben Lypka
Abbotsford News
The Mission City Outlaws completed the improbable on Saturday, and now they’re set to square off with their rivals to the south.
Mission squares off against the Abbotsford Pilots starting tonight, after finishing off an incredible comeback in round one against the Ridge Meadows Flames.
The Outlaws fell behind three games to zero against the Flames in the opening round of the playoffs, but stormed back to win in spectacular fashion in seven games.
Mission won overtime games against the Flames in games four and five, blanked Ridge Meadows 3-0 in game six on Friday and then wrapped the series up on home ice on Saturday with a 4-1 win. Kolby Steen was huge in game seven, scoring the game’s tying goal, and adding an empty net marker for insurance. Tristen Dundas and Brody Dyck also scored in game seven to advance Mission to round two.
The Outlaws face off against a familiar opponent, and the same team that they beat to clinch their first-ever Harold Brittain conference, the Abbotsford Pilots.
Abbotsford and Mission met six times in the regular season, with each team winning three.
The Pilots will be well rested, having disposed of the Aldergrove Kodiaks in six games following a 5-1 win on Feb. 24.
The series kicks off in Abbotsford on Friday at 7:30 p.m., with game two occurring at the Mission Leisure Centre on Saturday at 6:45 p.m. Game three will also be in Mission on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Game four returns to Abbotsford, while games five and seven, if necessary, will be in Mission.
The winner receives the Harold Brittain conference title, and will then play the winner of the Tom Shaw conference final, which pits the Delta Ice Hawks against the Grandview Steelers.
Read the Mission City Record online for more coverage of the series.