Outliers take down Riverblades

Thursday evening, the Outliers headed to Provo to face off against the RIverblades and defeated them by a score of 8-3. The Outliers played fast and furious against Provo and dictated the play for much of the game with an aggressive attack from the start of the first puck drop.

The first period saw the Outliers come out with offensive thrust, scoring three goals in the first period by defensemen Ethan Cummings, forward Nikolas Schwab, and forward John McLaughlin. Cumming would score off a face-off win in Riverblades zone and hammered his shot home off the draw. Schwab would tally his goal by driving to the net and scoring off a rebound from a wide-angle shot. McLaughlin would connect on a centering pass and deposit his quick shot past a surprised Provo netminder. 

Utah's aggressive defense would hold off the Riverblades to minimal shots on goal in the first period, however, Provo did squeak one by with 1:25 left in the period. The period concluded with the Outliers outshooting Provo 12-6 and ahead by a score of 3-1. 

In the second period, the Outliers came out onto the ice looking to increase their lead against the Riverblades by dominating the play with their potent offense and stingy defensive play. Forward Trent Gephart opened the scoring in the second period by chasing the puck down for a breakaway and chipping it past Provo's goalie at the 8:46 mark.

Less than ninety seconds later, defensemen Jakub Šuráň took control of the puck behind the Outliers net and

skated up across center ice for a quick pass to Brett Morrich which allowed Šuráň to lose his man covering him. Morich quickly passed the puck back to Šuráň who then sniped it past the Riverblades goalie giving the Outliers their fifth goal of the game. The Outliers defense maintained their strong defensive play by limiting Provo’s shot attempts and scoring chances. When Provo did generate a scoring opportunity, Outliers' goalie Rutam Kulizade was up to the task. 

Jett Arminen would give the Outliers their sixth goal of the contest when he was able to connect with a shot at the side of the net that was able to sneak past the Riverblades goaltender. Jett paid the price for the goal as he got his bell rung by a late check from a Provo defender just as he potted the goal. The Outliers would head into the second intermission with a 6-1 lead and outshooting Provo 12-6 in the period. 

In the third period, Utah came out with positive energy, knowing that if they continued to play as they had, they would skate off with a victory for the night. The Riverblades however, came out determined not to let the Outliers just take this game without a fight in the final period. 

Outliers forward Luke Volkmann opened up the scoring in the third period followed by a goal by Utah captain Josh Harrell 

to extend the score to 8-1 for Utah, Provo followed up with two goals of their own by scoring back-to-back within 60 seconds apart. 

The Riverblades rally would prove to fall short and the Outliers would claim victory by a final score of 8-3. The game ended with both teams registering 15 shots on goal apiece in the final frame.

The Outliers are back in action again this Friday, Dec 18th as they visit the Ogden Mustangs at the Ice Sheet. It will

be the Outliers last game before the Christmas break and the team will be looking to go into the holiday on a high note. 

The game will be broadcasted live stream on Hockeytv.com