Outliers Continue To Roll

The Outliers hosted a three-game slate this weekend, taking on the Pueblo Bulls Friday, the Casper Warbirds Saturday and the Pueblo Bulls again on Sunday. 

Utah Outliers 4, Pueblo Bulls 1 (Feb 28th, 2025)

Goaltender Matthew MacArthur started in net for the Outliers and once again proved himself as a top goalie in the NCDC. 

Utah started the scoring in this game at the 5:42 mark of the first period while playing on the power play. Thomas Duhamel won a puck battle low in the offensive zone and skated up the zone where he found some open space on the halfwall. Duhamel spotted defenseman Lucas Hihm at the point and before the Bulls defenders could react, Hihn sent the puck towards the net, allowing Kaleb Pitman to redirect it on the backdoor. This was Pitman’s 17th of the season. 

The Bulls evened the game with eleven minutes remaining in the opening frame when they capitalized on a broken play and made the Outliers pay. The game would remain tied 1-1 at the first intermission as Utah held the shots on goal advantage 8-7. 

The second period began to open up for the Outliers as they started to carry the play and gain some offensive zone time. As the clock edged towards the fourteen minute mark, the combination of Duhamel, Hihn, and Pitman found the back of the net again. After a zone entry on the powerplay, Duhamel found the puck on his stick as he rolled up to the point and sent a pass over to teammate Lucas Hihn. Hihn quickly released his shot towards the net, which created a rebound at the Bulls' net. Kaleb Pitman pounced on the loose puck and slid it past the Pueblo netminder for a 2-1 Utah lead. This was Pitman's 18th goal of the season. 

Entering the third period, Utah was not content on winning this game by just one goal. Very early in the third period, the Outliers increased their lead to 3-1. Garret Joss gained control of the puck in the neutral zone and dumped the puck into the Bulls zone on a seemingly harmless play. The puck took an extreme bounce off the glass and ended up in the back of the net for Joss’s 33rd of the season. Tevz Zibert and Nathan Nadeau both assisted on the goal. 

Utah would score their final goal on Friday with just under five minutes remaining in the third period. After Joss took a weird tumble in the offensive zone, he regained his composure and continued his shift. Nathan Nadeau would take advantage of this as he dumped the puck, allowing Joss to be the first player to arrive on the play. After a quick shot attempt towards the net, Tevz Zibert regained possession and slid the puck through the five-hole of the Bulls goaltender for his 8th of the season.

Matthew MacArthur stopped 25 of 26 shots on the evening and made some timely saves to give his team the 4-1 victory. 

Utah Outliers 5, Casper Warbirds 3 (Mar 1st, 2025)

Looking to continue their momentum from the previous game, the Outliers gave the nod to Marcus Ouellet to start between the pipes.

In the first period, Utah came out hungry and ready to play. The Outliers outshot the Warbirds 12-5 during the opening frame and controlled a large part of the offensive action. 

At the five minute mark, Utah was awarded a power play and they went to work in search of the game's first goal. While battling for the puck low in the Warbirds zone, it made its way to the point and onto the stick of defenseman Xavier Brooks. Brooks walked the blue line and fired a pass to Michael Schwartz on the right flank. Schwartz quickly recognized teammate Daniil Chuparnov breaking to the back post and slid a beautiful pass for him to redirect into the back of the net. 

The Warbirds tied the game with thirteen minutes to play in the first period, but Utah answered back to take a 2-1 lead with just over four minutes remaining in the opening period. Defensemen, Jesse Ivanovic fired off a quick wrister which the Casper goaltender initially stopped. Still, he could not control the rebound and it bounced towards Xavier Brooks who rifled a slapshot for his 4th of the season. Garret Joss had the secondary assist on this goal.

The Warbirds would not go away quietly as they stormed back and capitalized on some of their chances in the second period to score back-to-back goals and take a 3-2 lead. Utah's Daniil Chuparnov evened the game at 3-3 when Maker Klochkov won a race to recover the puck in the Warbirds zone and passed it to teammate Michael Schwartz below the goal line. Schwartz would then quickly make a centering pass to Chuparnov who was left all alone at the net front and deposited his second goal of the contest to tie the game. 

As the third period progressed, the game remained tied at three and Utah began to press as they looked for the go-ahead goal. With eight minutes remaining in the game, Kole Mears and Justin Obrochta tore up the ice on a 2-on-1 rush. Upon entering the Casper zone, Mears took the puck to the net and beat the Warbirds goalie cleanly with a shot low to the glove side. This was Mears 6th goal of the season. 

The Warbirds would try desperately to tie the game at four, but Utah scored an empty-net goal to secure the win. Pitman gained possession in the offensive zone on a broken play and lofted the puck into the open cage for his 19th of the season, with assists from Obrochta and Hihn. 

Utah again skated off the ice earning another two points and winning by a score of 5-3. 

Utah Outliers 2, Pueblo Bulls 1 (Mar 2nd, 2025)

Looking to secure all six points during the weekend and earn a sweep, the Outliers started goaltender Matthew MacArthur in net. MacArthur hoped to continue his hot play since being acquired by Utah in a trade. 

The Bulls struck first in this game while playing on the power play. During some frantic play in the Utah zone, the Outliers gained control of the puck and attempted to clear it down the ice.  Unfortunately, the clearing attempt was kept in by Pueblo, and they made the Outliers pay with an early goal, taking a 1-0 lead. 

Utah tied the game 1-1 in the opening frame on their own power play goal. With just over two minutes remaining in the period, Xavier Brooks took a pass from Makar Chuparnov and pounded a shot from the point that found the back of the net as Daniil Chuparnov provided the screen. 

Utah outshot Pueblo 12-9 in the first period. Both goalies made key saves for their clubs to keep the game close. 

In the second period, the Outliers ran into some penalty trouble, giving the bulls multiple power plays. The penalty kill unit and goalie Matthew MacArthur shut the door and denied the Bulls the chance to take the lead. The momentum from the penalty kill brought Utah some life and shortly after the converted offensively to take a 2-1 lead. 

Outliers forward, Kole Mears intercepted a pass in the neutral zone and bounced onto teammate Tevz Zibert's stick. Taking control of the puck quickly, Zibert drove down the wide lane and into the Bulls zone and threw a centering pass for Mears who drove the net and redirected Zibert's pass into the back of the net. 

The third period showcased tough, defensive play by the Outliers. The game began to grind with both teams' many board battles and physical play. Utah showed outstanding commitment to defend as a 5-man unit and shut the door for the rest of the game to earn themselves a 2-1 win and sweep the weekend. 

Matthew MacArthur stopped 31 out of 32 shots to remain undefeated since arriving at the Outliers. 

The Outliers will continue their home stretch when they face the Ogden Mustangs on Tuesday, March 4th, and host the Idaho Fall Spud Kings for a two-game series on March 7th & 8th.