Two close losses and a big win capped off the past week of action for the Mission City Outlaws, as the club continues to make a playoff push.
The Outlaws ran into a familiar face on Jan. 10, when they travelled to Langley to battle the Trappers, as they squared off against former Outlaws goalie Keaton Dyck.
The Chilliwack product was unstoppable against his former team, turning aside all 27 shots the Outlaws fired at him to earn his first-ever Pacific Junior Hockey League shutout. The game was scoreless until 19:31 of the third period, when the Trappers managed to slip one past Outlaws goalie Matthew Trulsen.
Trulsen stopped 38 shots in the loss, and neither team managed to convert on the combined seven power play opportunities they received.
The Outlaws then visited the Wolf Pack in North Vancouver, and were again victimized late to fall 2-1.
Mission’s Kyle Mooney opened the scoring at 1:30 of the first period, and that goal stood until 12:41 of the second when North Vancouver tied the game. The Pack added a goal at 7:18 of the third period to hang on for the 2-1 win.
Both of North Vancouver’s goals were on the power play, while Mission was unsuccessful in the five times they had the man advantage. Trulsen again was solid in between the pipes, stopping 32 shots in the loss.
The Outlaws returned home on Saturday, and this time they took over in the third period to earn the 5-3 win over the Aldergrove Kodiaks.
Mission’s Maximilian Corazza scored a goal sandwiched between two Kodiaks markers in the first period, and Outlaws forward Michael Nemeth tied the game at two in the second period. The Kodiaks then went up 3-2 heading into the third.
The final frame was all Outlaws, as Mission scored three unanswered goals from Justin Hargrave (two) and Justin Bowerman to pick up the win.
“I thought we came out a little slow in the first and second but we battled hard in the third,” said Mission assistant coach Nick Thompson. “That was the kind of hockey we want to play.”
Trulsen made 37 saves to pick up his 10th win of the season, and Bowerman, Corazza and Hargrave all recorded multi-point games.
This was a big win for the Outlaws, who are battling for their postseason lives against Langley and Aldergrove. Only one of those three teams will qualify for the playoffs, and only two points separate the three teams. Langley and Mission are currently tied with 29 points, while the Kodiaks have 27.
The Outlaws next host the Grandview Steelers at the Mission Leisure Centre on Saturday. Faceoff is set for 6:45 p.m.
