The battle of the Fraser River in the Pacific Junior Hockey League heated up on Friday night, and the Abbotsford Pilots were left standing tall.
The Pilots blew up offensively, scoring seven goals and taking down the Mission City Outlaws 7-2 in the two club’s first regular season meeting of the 2016-17 season.
Abbotsford’s Mateo Toledo continued his red hot start to the season, as he scored a hat trick. The third year player now was seven goals in the Pilots first four games. Pilots forward Jackson Waniek also had a strong game, with two goals and two assists.
Also lighting the lamp for Abbotsford was Logan Favel and Alexander Methorst.
The game was filled with penalties, as the two clubs renewed their rivalry from last season. Abbotsford was assessed 46 minutes in penalties, while Mission compiled 36.
Despite the win, Pilots head coach Jim Cowden said it’s still early to get too excited.
“There is still lots of work for us to do,” he said. “We had lots of mistakes and turnovers tonight, but I think we will get better as the season goes on. We have a lot of speed, and I like the way our team has been put together.”
The Pilots also won on Thursday, beating the Surrey Knights 7-3. For more details on that game and Friday’s game, read Wednesday’s print edition of the Abbotsford News.
