Outliers Fly Past Warbirds

The Outliers traveled to Casper to take on the Warbirds for a two-game set and skated away two victories to earn them four points on the weekend. Utah defeated Casper by scores of 6-3 and 7-2. 

Utah Outliers 6, Casper Warbirds 3  (NOV 22, 2024)

The Outliers came out of the gates firing in this game as they converted for four goals in the opening frame. 

Utah's Kole Mears scored his 3rd goal of the year exactly four minutes into the game when he converted on a rebound at the Warbirds net. Casper was quick to respond and even the game at 1-1 when they converted on a rebound of their own. It took the Outliers just 10 seconds to answer back when forward Justin Obrochata caught a drop pass from teammate Nathan Huntington and ripped his shot top shelf to give the visitors a 2-1 lead. 

Late in the opening period at the 16:50 mark Braden Hansberger redirected a beautifully placed puck by defenseman Lucas Hihn into the back of the net to extend the lead to 3-1. Casper struck late in the frame to make the game 3-2 but the Outliers once again got timely scoring and responded in less than a minute when leading goal scorer Garrett Joss put away his 12th of the year. The period finished with Utah leading by a score of 4-2 and leading in the shot column 17-8.

The second period looked like it may repeat itself as a high-scoring affair when Casper scored on a penalty shot less than a minute into the second frame. Both teams traded special teams opportunities throughout the period but only the visiting Outliers were able to make their chance count courtesy of Lucas Hihn who rifled a shot from the blueline that beat Casper goaltender Ryan Henry high glove side. Just a few minutes later, Garrett Joss found the back of the net to extend Utah's lead to 6-3. Shots for the period ended 12-8.

The third period saw Utah continue to control the puck and the pace of the game. Neither team was able to break through offensively and in sharp contrast to the opening two frames the period ended scoreless. Utah finished the night on top earning themselves a 6-3 victory. The Outliers also held the shot advantage at 40-26 on the evening. 

Jeffrey Fillion saved 23 of the 26 shots on net to collect his third win of the season. 

Utah Outliers 7, Casper Warbirds 2  (NOV 23, 2024)

On Saturday night the Outliers started Marcus Oulette in net and the group was determined to pick up their second consecutive victory against Casper. 

In the opening period, Casper came out with a lot of pace and played a hard first ten minutes. Utah's Ouellet made several key saves to shut the door on the Warbirds offense. The Outliers eventually found their skating legs and converted on the penalty kill when Magzhan Sagadiev pounced on a loose puck and ripped it into the back of the net. Sagadiev proved to be the lone goal scorer in the opening frame as Utah headed into the locker room with a 1-0 lead. 

The second period was another offensive explosion between the two teams as they combined for a total of six goals. Casper would score first in the period to tie the game 1-1 but the Outliers resiliency and ability to answer back was once again a big storyline in this game. Utah's Garrett Joss put the visitors back in the lead 2-1 when he converted his opportunity past the Warbirds netminder. A minute later the Outliers were awarded a powerplay and were able to convert. Garrett Joss controlled the puck in Casper's zone and dished a pass to Micheal Schwartz at the blue line who showed some nice poise before sliding a pass to Makar Klochkov who hammered home a one-timer shot to give Utah a 3-1 lead. 

Casper would claw back and find the scoresheet to make it 3-2 when they took a shot towards the Outliers net and it took several bounces before landing in the back of the net. The Outliers once again grabbed the momentum right back and scored under a minute later when Slovenian born forward Tevz Zibert showed great vision and confidence to slow down on a 2-on-1 and wait for the perfect opportunity to pass to Filip Lezzani who immediately ripped it into a wide-open net. Kole Mears capped off the period with a beautiful snipe from an almost impossible angle which pushed the Outliers' lead to 5-2. Utah dominated the shots in the second period, outshooting Casper 28-12. 

The Outliers headed into the third period adding two more goals on the evening. Garrett Joss scored his second of the contest when he found a rebound in front of the Warbirds net off a shot from Makar Klochkov. Magzhan Sagadiev would deposit his second goal of the game when he drove the net and put a rebound home off a shot from teammate Jake Lundeen. 

Utah skated off with a convincing 7-2 victory and a series sweep over Casper. Shots finished 52-30 in favor of Utah. This was the Outliers third straight victory and gives the team some momentum as they head home for their next game against the Rock Springs Grizzlies on Nov. 27th at the Acord Ice Center.