It’s been almost a year since anyone has been able to solve the Wilkie Outlaws in the Saskatchewan West Hockey League.
In fact, the last time they suffered a loss was on Jan. 28, 2017, when they fell 4-2 to the formely named Luseland/Dodsland Mallards club on home ice in their final game of the regular season.
As the Outlaws look to win a fourth straight SWHL title, the squad has a 19-0 record and has already clinched home ice advantage through the playoffs ahead of their regular season finale on Friday, Jan. 26 on the road against the Unity Miners.
“So far so good,” Outlaws captain Mike Sittler said following a wild 10-6 win on home ice against the Biggar Nationals last Wednesday night.
“We’ve had quite a few tight games this year, which has been great for us, and we feel like we’ve been moving in the right direction. That’s where you want to be at this point of the season with the playoffs and the provincials coming up.”
If the Outlaws win that game over the Miners, they will be the first team to have an undefeated regular season since the Kindersley Red Lions, when they went 16-0 in the 2013-14 campaign
Despite that stellar season, the Red Lions were unable to take home the title as they were upset in the semifinal round by the eventual champion Miners in four games.
For the Outlaws, what’s worked for them over the course of this season has been the exact same as their approach over the years.
“We know that we are going to score goals with the group of forwards we have, but the main thing is making sure that we are keeping the puck out of our net and doing the little things right,” Sittler said.
“Many of us have played together for a long time now, so that chemistry that we’ve built up over the years has been a major asset for us.”
The Outlaws have also added a key piece to their blueline this season, as former Battlefords North Stars captain Kendall Fransoo joined the team after winning the Canalta Cup last spring.
“Wilkie has built that reputation over the last couple of years of being the team to beat out here, so it’s kind of similar to what it was like playing with the North Stars where everyone was looking to beat us,” Fransoo said.
“There’s a good group of guys here on the team and it’s a fun league to play in.”
Following their home victory over the Nationals, the Outlaws continued their winning ways over the weekend with a 5-1 road triumph over the Macklin Mohawks Friday night and a dominant 16-6 performance over the Luseland Mallards in Wilkie Saturday.
With his recent performances, Brock Harrison now has 63 points in 18 games this season and has a seven point lead over Kelsey Muench of the Mallards for the top spot in SWHL scoring.
At the other end of the ice, Jared Herle has compiled a league best 2.96 goals against average and a .901 save percentage on his way to posting a 13-0 record.
In addition to getting ready for the SWHL playoffs, the Outlaws are also getting ready to compete in the Senior ‘A’ provincials, where they lost in last year’s finals to the Bethune Bulldogs.
“At this time of the year, the biggest thing is staying healthy,” Sittler said.
“You just have to take everything round by round, especially with the provincials. You know who you will be playing, but you never really know what will happen and what their lineup will be until you get out on the ice.”
The Outlaws will be taking on the Hillmond Hitmen in a best of three first round series, with the winner facing either the Meadow Lake Broncos or the Hague Royals in the quarter-finals.
The dates for the Outlaws and Hitmen series have yet to be determined.
