Kedzo’s Four Goals Lead Outliers to Game One Win

SALT LAKE CITY, U.T. - Tangling the puck into the netting of the empty cage, forward Tyler Kedzo’s fourth goal of the contest handed the Utah Outliers hockey club a road victory over the Ogden Mustangs in Game One of the first round of the Dineen Cup Playoffs.

The second-year player credited the momentum in his performance to his group hopping onto the scoreboard early. Defenseman Valters Budenieks handed the Outliers the game’s first goal eight minutes and four seconds into the contest. Kedzo said, “Yeah I just think if we start hot, we can break them down… We’ve got the group for it.”

Head coach Richard Bohan echoed the sentiment. He explained that starting with the lead, “… allows you to play with more confidence. You’re never chasing the game. You start off hot, that’s a little bit more emotion on the bench, and it just gives the guys a little bit of extra drive.”

After the first period finished 1-0 Utah, Kedzo began his bright performance with back-to-back goals within the first six and a half minutes of the second frame. The first arrived on a breakout feed from forward Tommy Enrietto.

“I got a nice breakout pass from Tommy [Enrietto] and I saw that I was gone,” the Edmonton-native said. “I really didn’t have room to cut in the middle, so I just closed my eyes and sniped it.”

Ogden pushed back with a pair of goals in that middle inning, but they sandwiched another Utah score from forward Anton Sollin.

Another Mustangs goal six and a half minutes into the third period sliced the gap to only a 4-3 Outliers margin.

Kedzo responded around the halfway mark in the frame by capping his first N.C.D.C. hat trick. After Ogden emptied its net, the 19-year-old flipped in his fourth tally, icing the Game One win.

Game Two between the Outliers and the Mustangs takes place again in Salt Lake City at the Steiner Ice Arena at 7:00 p.m. on April 3. The series heads to Park City at the Black Rock Event Center on April 4 at 7:05 p.m. and (if necessary) 6 at 6:05 p.m. Should the setup require a winner-take-all Game Five, that game would be back in Ogden at The Ice Sheet, with a 7:00 p.m. puck drop on April 8.

Tickets for the playoff edition of the Battle of the Beehive State are on sale at utahoutliers.com/tickets.