OUTLIERS HIT THE ROAD TO WYOMING

by Website Admin

After splitting a two game home series against the Ogden Mustangs, the Utah Outliers are heading back out on the road for a three game set against another Mountain Division foe, the Cheyenne Stampede. For Utah, this will be the first of back-to-back weekends on the road for the team, who venture to Steamboat the following weekend. Cheyenne is coming off a successful weekend as they just beat the Wranglers two straight. The Outliers venture back to Stampede territory after previously having a great deal success in Wyoming, winning the first three games by a combined score of 33-2. This season, Utah has a perfect 6-0-0 record against Cheyenne, and has only allowed 3 goals against. With only 11 games left in the regular season, every point matters, and Utah is looking to pick up steam as they prepare for a deep playoff run.

KEYS TO WATCH: 

For the Outliers, one thing to keep an eye on is depth scoring on the roster. Bartel is close to reaching the 30-goal plateau this year, while several other players are closing in on 20 goals. In addition to the quantity of goal scorers, newcomers Niklas Lejon, Austin Dennison, and Bradley Green are also looking to make their presence felt, as they have now had some time to familiarize themselves with the team and systems. On the back end, Jakub Lelek and Jake Papesh are setting the pace for defenseman with 26 and 25 points respectively. Dylan Dix and Tristan Slot are not far behind, both sitting at 20. In net, Oscar Wahlgren is still leading the way with 17 wins, but late addition Charles-Olivier Lepage had an impressive debut with a 32 save performance against the Mustangs.

For the Stampede, their defense has been trending upward as they have held opponents to an average of 3 goals in recent games. Up front, Bryan Watters continues to lead the charge. The 99’ forward is having quite the season with a 26 goal 23 assist stat line. Two additions made in Cheyenne have also helped with recent success as Ben Gloe and Kody Kifer have helped contribute 15 goals and 29 points combined since joining the team later this season. Dawson Nelson has an impressive 9 goals from the back end to go along with his 132 PIM. Between the pipes, Brendan Carew has earned the lion’s share of the work. Over this season he has picked up 5 wins and has an incredible 1124 saves.

Utah has 4 weekends of games left in the 2018-19 regular season, with 10 of those games being on the road. The team will have an opportunity to improve their 10-4-1 away record while staying sharp as they gear up for playoffs. Every team is hungry to build some momentum, so each game should be fast-paced and full of intensity.

GO OUTLIERS!