Outliers Wound Warbirds

The Outliers hosted the Casper Warbirds for two games this past weekend and won by scores of 5-2 and 3-1. Utah is 8-1-1 in their past ten games. 

Utah Outliers 5, Casper Warbirds 2 (Mar 14th, 2025)

Matthew MacArthur was named the starting goaltender for Utah in this game. He had been red-hot in recent games and wanted to continue his strong play between the pipes. 

Utah started the game fast and furious, controlling much of the play in the Casper zone, but failed to convert on their scoring chances. The first period ended with the score tied at 0-0, but shots on goal favored the Outliers by a 17-4 margin. 

In the second period, the Warbirds capitalized to open the scoring and take a 1-0 lead, but Utah responded just over five minutes later to even the score at 1-1. After a missed shot attempt by Casper, the Outliers quickly transitioned up the ice. Justin Obrochta coasted into the offensive zone before dishing the puck to Nathan Huntington. Huntington stepped into the high slot and drilled his shot past the Warbirds goaltender. Matthew MacArthur picked up the secondary assist on the goal.

The Warbirds regained the lead on a delayed penalty, but Utah answered just before the buzzer. With only two seconds remaining in the second period, Utah's Garrett Joss busted into the Casper zone and ripped a shot that tied the game 2-2.  

Determined to take their first lead of the night, Utah controlled play for most of the third period. Just past the seven-minute mark, Tevz Zibert broke the tie, weaving through the neutral zone before rocketing a shot over the Warbirds goaltender's shoulder for his 10th goal of the season. Jesse Ivanovic and Xavier Brooks picked up the assists.

Utah struck for their third goal of the contest just over three minutes later. The play developed below the goal line, with Garret Joss, Tevz Zibert, and Kaleb Pitman playing keep-away. Pitman eventually found open ice, cycled from below the goal line to the high slot, and wristed a shot into the back of the net for his 21st goal of the season.

With under a minute remaining, Pitman sealed the victory with an empty-net goal. With the Casper netminder on the bench for an extra attacker, the visitors failed to control a bouncing puck off the face-off, allowing Pitman to muscle past his defender for a clear lane to the open net and slide the puck across the goal line for a 4-1 Outliers victory. 

Matthew MacArthur stopped 14 of 16 shots and added an assist in the Friday night victory.

Utah Outliers 3, Casper Warbirds 1 (Mar 15th, 2025)

For this game, the Outliers started goaltender Marcus Ouellet, who performed well over the course of sixty minutes to pick up the win. 

The first period in this game was a mirror image of the previous night, with Utah dominating the play and owning puck possession. But once again, the home club was unable to find the back of the net in the opening frame, and the period ended scoreless. The Outliers outshot Casper by a 16-4 margin. 

Midway through the second period, the Outliers finally broke the scoreless game with a 2-on-1 rush. Xavier Brooks disrupted a Capser attack at the defensive blue line before rushing the puck up the ice. He held onto it long enough for Kaleb Pitman to catch up, then slid a perfect pass to him. Pitman fired a shot off the post and past the Warbirds netminder for his 23rd goal of the season.

The Warbirds responded with four minutes remaining in the second period. After a broken zone entry, Ouellet made the initial save, but an unfortunate bounce led to a rebound goal, tying the game at 1-1. 

Determined to reclaim the lead, Utah continued pressing in the third period. Despite playing shorthanded, the home club made a great effort while playing down a man. Utah killed off the first minute of the Casper power play when Outliers forward Braden Hansberger muscled past his defender while forechecking the play and charged in on a breakaway. Making an inside-outside deke, Hansberger got the Warbirds goaltender sliding before depositing the puck through his legs for his eighth goal of the season.

The Outliers added one more insurance goal with under 10 minutes to play. Justin Obrochta dashed into the zone and centered the puck to Andrej Kubala. Kubala’s fluttering shot on net created a rebound, and Kaleb Pitman buried it for his 24th goal of the season.

Marcus Ouellet was solid in net, stopping 25 of 26 shots to secure a 3-1 Utah victory. 

The Outliers will take on the Ogden Mustangs in a home-and-home series this weekend. They will host Ogden on March 21st at the Acord Ice Center before traveling to face the Mustangs at the Ice Sheet on March 22nd.