The Mission City Outlaws opened February with a pair of losses, as the sun begins to set on the club’s 2018-19 regular season.
Mission will not be making a trip to the Pacific Junior Hockey League playoffs, but do have the chance to catch the expansion White Rock Whalers in the race for 10th place.
The Outlaws fell 4-2 to the Abbotsford Pilots on Friday, and the game fell away from the team in the second period.
Mission started off strong, with Outlaws forward Griffin Abbott scoring the lone goal in the first period.
After allowing an early goal in the second, Mission went up 2-1 when Tristan Takats scored at 2:38 of the second period.
However, that would be all the offence produced by the Outlaws as the Pilots then scored three unanswered goals to skate away with a 4-2 lead.
Neither team scored a goal in the third.
Mission’s struggles on the power play were evident on Friday, with the Outlaws going zero-for-six with the man advantage. They also allowed a pair of goals shorthanded.
Mission’s Chase Newman had a solid game, drawing assists on both of the Outlaws goals.
The Outlaws outshot the Pilots 41-40, with Mission goalie Isaac Elias making 36 saves in a losing cause.
One notable news item from the game was that Pilots captain, and former Outlaw, Baylee Wright recorded three points to tie the PJHL record for most points in a single season.
Wright now has 121 points and matches the 1977-78 mark set by Brent O’Connor of the North Shore Flames.
Wright and the Pilots have two games remaining, including the final game of the season in Mission on Saturday.
The losing continued for the Outlaws on Saturday, with the Ridge Meadows Flames earning a 7-3 win at the Mission Leisure Centre.
Ridge Meadows scored six consecutive goals over the first two periods to cruise to the win.
Mission got goals from Takats, Justin Hargrave and Kyle Mooney. Mission was outshot 42-23 in the contest.
Starting goalie Andrew Edgecombe was yanked after allowing four goals on 16 shots, with Elias surrendering three goals on 26 shots in relief.
Mission’s record fell to 12-27-3 with the pair of losses, and they dropped to 11th place in the PJHL.
The Outlaws close out the season with a pair of games on home ice on Friday and Saturday.
Mission hosts the Whalers on Friday at 7 p.m., and then welcomes the Pilots on Saturday at 6:45 p.m. Both games occur at the MLC.
For more on the team, visit missioncityoutlaws.com.
