For the first time in over a year, fans of the Wilkie Outlaws will have the chance to see their team play in their own rink once again.
The Saskcan Community Centre, which was heavily damaged in a fire on Oct. 9, 2015, will open its doors once again this weekend as the Outlaws take on the Kindersley Red Lions Friday night and the Eatonia Huskies Saturday evening.
“I think everyone’s pretty anxious to get back in there, especially since we’ve been out of the arena for such a long time now,” Outlaws president Gerry Cey said.
“Having said that, the rink’s not entirely finished up as of yet, but we’re ready to make the best of it.”
Although the ice surface, grandstands and dressing rooms are all ready to go, the ticket booth and lobby aren’t expected to be completely finished until early January.
“There’s been some delays on that side of things, but that can happen with construction projects sometimes,” Cey said.
“We have some temporary things planned, including entering through the southwest corner of the rink, until everything’s finished up.”
Fans will see some notable changes to the Saskcan Community Centre, which will be hosting its first Outlaws game since the team won the Sask. West Hockey League title over the Kindersley Red Lions on March 26, 2015.
“There’s brand new seating and new lightning, which I think everyone will notice once they walk into the rink,” Cey said.
“Everything’s got a fresh coat of paint on it as well, so there was a bit of a silver lining to what happened.”
Due to the construction in Wilkie, the Outlaws were on the road for the start of the 2016-17 season.
Their quest for a third straight SWHL league title is off to a strong start, as they have a 6-0 record and are just one point behind the Luseland/Dodsland Mallards for first place.
“We certainly weren’t expected to have a perfect record by the time we were playing in Wilkie again,” Cey said. “There’s a lot of parity in the league this year and there’s a number of really good teams.
“We’ve got our same team back from last year along with a few new faces that are fitting in well. It’s a pretty good roster from top to bottom.”
The Outlaws are coming off two dominant performances last weekend, as they picked up a 13-3 win over the Huskies Friday and had an 11-2 triumph over the Red Lions Saturday.
Mitch Suchan led the way for the Outlaws Friday night with three goals and three assists. Lorne Griffiths dished out four helpers, while Brock Harrison, Brett Harrison and Rob Cey each had a pair of goals.
Brett Harrison had a sublime performance Saturday in Kindersley, as he scored a goal and had six assists.
Rory Gregoire and Garrett Cameron both had hat tricks and two assists in the victory.
Friday’s return to the Saskcan Community Centre against the Red Lions will take place at 8:30 p.m.
The Outlaws will then do battle with the Huskies at 8 p.m. Saturday.
Their last home game before Christmas will be on Dec. 23 against the Macklin Mohawks, in what will also be a wing-night fundraiser for the Outlaws.
