Outliers Win Season Opener

UTAH OUTLIERS 5, ROCK SPRINGS GRIZZLIES 2 (SEPTEMBER, 20TH)

The Acord Ice Arena was buzzing on Friday night as the Outliers kicked off their season against the Rock Springs Grizzlies. The crowd was energized, wearing team colors, waving banners, and eager to see their team hit the ice for the 2024-25 season.

As the first puck was dropped to open the season, the Outliers showcased their determination by starting the game fast and furious. Utah's offensive pressure and high-pace play resulted in some early scoring chances but the home team was unable to capitalize. 

The Outliers pressure eventually drew a Rock Springs penalty to put them on the power play. While playing with the man advantage, Defenseman Chase Nyitray potted his first career junior goal when he released a quick wrist shot from the point that found its way past a screened Rock Springs netminder. 

Despite several more good opportunities for the Outliers, the period would draw to a close with Utah leading by a score of 1-0 and holding a 10-6 advantage in shots on goal. Outliers goalie, Marcus Ouellet was solid between the pipes and made a key breakaway save to keep the visitors off the scoreboard. 

The Outliers continued to dominate the play in the second period as they attacked the Grizzlies net relentlessly and controlled the puck for long stretches in the Rock Springs zone. Utah was able to manufacture some solid opportunities but they were all thwarted away by the Grizzlies netminder. 

Utah finally got rewarded for their hard work when Thomas Duhamel connected on his shot to give the Outliers a 2-0 lead. While controlling the puck low in the Rock Springs zone, Duhamel found some space in the slot and ripped home a feed from teammate Justin Obrochta.  

With momentum on their side, Utah continued their offensive push as returner Garrett Joss found some open space and busted free on a breakaway off a pass from defenseman Lucas Hihn. Joss skated in all alone on the Grizzlies goalie and buried his shot for a 3-0 Outliers lead. 

The crowd erupted and jumped to their feet on Utah's fourth goal of the game. Tevz Zibert and Thomas Duhamel connected for the prettiest goal of the evening with a tic-tac-toe passing play. Zibert entered the Grizzlies zone off the rush and slid a pass to Duhamel who appeared ready to shoot the puck from the slot. Upon receiving the pass, Duhamel quickly made a silky backdoor pass to Zibert who deposited his shot into the back of the net. 

The Grizzlies weren’t ready to back down and go away without a fight. Looking for opportunities to close the gap, the visitors finally found an answer to Utah netminder Marcus Ouellet who had been solid in net all night. Rock Springs, Ryan Patrick converted off the rush when he sniped his shot from the top of the circles to narrow the Outliers lead. That would be all the scoring in the second period as Utah went into the intermission with a commanding 4-1 lead. 

In the third period, the Outliers kept their foot on the gas. Once again it was Garrett Joss converting and scoring his second goal of the contest. Joss showcased his finesse as he danced around a Grizzlies defender and drove to the net for a goal. This put the Outliers back in the driver's seat and gave them a 5-1 lead. 

Rock Springs rallied for one last push late in the game as they managed to bring the score to 5-2 but it was too little too late. The Outliers held strong the rest of the game and when the final buzzer echoed throughout the arena, the players embraced in celebration.

It was a great way to kick off the season for the Outliers as they put in a strong performance and had a lot of contributions throughout the lineup. 

Three stars of the game: 1st Star (Garrett Joss) 2nd Star (Thomas Duhamel) 3rd Star (Michael Schwartz)

The team will return to action next Friday, Sept 27th as they host their state rival, the Ogden Mustangs at 7 PM at the Acord Ice Center.