The Wilkie Outlaws made up for lost time over the weekend.
In their first games at the Saskcan Community Centre in almost two years, the Outlaws shutout the Kindersley Red Lions 9-0 Friday night and followed that up with a 12-3 win over the Eatonia Huskies Saturday.
“It was good to finally be back at home,” Outlaws captain Mike Sittler said. “At first, it didn’t feel like we were in our own rink again, but I’m sure we’ll get used to it as time goes on.”
Due to a fire that heavily damaged the facility on Oct. 9, 2015, the Outlaws hadn’t played an official home game since they won the Saskatchewan West Hockey League championship over the Red Lions on March 26, 2015.
“I think this gives everyone an extra boost when you can play in front of friends and family,” Outlaws forward Brock Harrison said. “That’s the reason I’ve come back to play here.”
“Everyone has put in a lot of hard work into getting everything back going at the rink,” Sittler added. “The new lighting has taken a bit to get used to. It’s a lot brighter in here compared to the lights from the 1970’s and 1980’s that we had here before.”
In both games, the Outlaws utilized a spread-out offensive attack to pull away from their opponents.
Brett Harrison led the way Friday night with a hat-trick performance. Rory Gregoire and Dustin Glackin had a goal and two assists each, while Brock Harrison and Derek Keller both dishes out three helpers.
Brock Harrison was also impressive Saturday, as he scored two goals and had four assists.
Gregoire had two goals and three assists in the victory, while Rick Cey and Ryne Keller both had three-point nights.
“We have a very deep team with four lines rolling in every game,” Brock Harrison said. “We’re really taking advantage of that and we’re having short shifts to try and tire out the other team out.
“We have great goaltending and a good veteran defensive core, plus we have some new young guys with Reece Fenrich and Ryne Keller that are helping us out.”
Thanks to their wins on the weekend, the Outlaws now have a 8-0 record and have a three-point lead over the Luseland/Dodsland Mallards for first place in the SWHL standings.
The Outlaws will be back at home Friday at 7:30 p.m. to host the Macklin Mohawks for the team’s annual wing night.
