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Outlaws stumble in race for third

Mission drops crucial game to Ridge Meadows Flames, now four points behind with two games to go.
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The Mission Outlaws fell 2-1 to the Ridge Meadows Flames on Friday night

The third-place dream is virtually over for the Mission City Outlaws.

After a run that saw the team pick up points in eight consecutive games, Mission couldn’t get the job done on the road against the Ridge Meadows Flames on Friday.

The Outlaws fell 2-1, which damaged their hopes of leapfrogging the Flames to finish third in the Harold Brittain conference. Mission will likely now place fourth, and open up the Pacific Junior Hockey League playoffs against the top-ranked Aldergrove Kodiaks.

The Flames dominated the first period, outshooting the Outlaws 19-3. They got on the board at 16:58 of the first period, and added another marker at 18:07 to lead 2-0 after one.

After a scoreless second period, Mission’s Jackson Waniek scored on the power play at 8:12 to make it a one-goal game, but that was as close as the Outlaws would get. Ryan Sharma and Michal Holub drew the assists on Mission’s lone goal.

The win gave the Flames 44 points on the season and left Mission with 40. The Outlaws must win their final two games and hope that Ridge Meadows fails to get a point in order to finish third.

Friday was another great performance by Outlaws goalie Matthew Trulsen, who kept Mission in the game and made 47 saves. He was named the game’s third star for his efforts. Trulsen has stopped the third most shots of any goalie in the PJHL this season.

The Outlaws were scheduled to face the Delta Ice Hawks at home on Saturday, but that game was postponed due to the poor weather that rocked much of the Fraser Valley and Lower Mainland over the weekend.

That game is rescheduled to occur on Sunday.

Mission also plays on Saturday against the Abbotsford Pilots. Faceoff is set for 6:45 p.m. at the Mission Leisure Centre.

The PJHL playoffs will likely being next week, with Mission either opening in Aldergrove or Abbotsford.

 



Ben Lypka

About the Author: Ben Lypka

I joined the Abbotsford News in 2015.
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