Outliers prepare for Stampede
The Utah Outliers are coming off a tough home-and-home series with the Ogden Mustangs where they picked up 3 out of a possible 4 points. This weekend they welcome in another Mountain Division foe in the Cheyenne Stampede. The season has taken different avenues for these two teams, as the Outliers sit on the top of the division, whereas the young Stampede currently sit in last. In the previous series, the Outliers took three straight wins and outscored their opponents by a margin of 32-2.
The focus for the Outliers this weekend is to stay sharp and improve on certain aspects of their team game. In the beginning of the season, the team relied on solid defense as well as tremendous goaltending. As the year progressed, the offense started heating up and now is among the elite in the WSHL. The main priority now is to get both the offense and defense clicking together and be tough to play against on both sides of the puck.
Some things to keep an eye on this weekend are the arrivals of two new players that have ventured to Salt Lake City to play for the Outliers. Defenseman William Wikner joins the club from Vallentuna BK of the J20 Elit league in Sweden. The 98’ born defenseman is a smooth skater and should add another element to a Utah team that has only allowed 66 goals in 36 games this season. The other addition comes in the form of Jan Pixa. The 1997 Pixa hails from Czech Republic. Before joining the Outliers, the 6’0 190 lb forward was having a very successful statistical year in the USPHL Premier League, where he put up 19 goals and 20 assists in 33 games. Outlier fans should look forward to seeing both of these new players this weekend, as they will get their first taste of WSHL action.
All three games will take place at the Acord Ice Center, where Utah has a perfect 16-0 record. Friday night’s game will start at 7:05 PM, Saturday at 6:35 PM, and Sunday at 12:05 PM. We look forward to seeing everyone at the game.
#GoOutliers!