The shots were fast and furious in an evenly matched home opener for the Aldergrove Kodiaks but the Mission City Outlaws were the ones to find the back of the net.
The Outlaws took the game 6-3, Sept. 9 at Aldergrove Arena before a full house of Junior B hockey fans.
Shots on goal were 38-37 in favour of the Outlaws but it was a couple of penalty kills which wore down the Kodiaks and gave the Outlaws the upper hand. The Outlaws scored in one of four power plays while the Kodiaks scratched for two.
The Outlaws were up 2-1 in the first period but the second period was a saw-off with two more goals for each team. The Outlaws scored at 6:00 in the third to bring it up to 5-3, and ended the night with an empty-netter for the win.
Scoring for Aldergrove came mostly from returning veterans Brandon Dolby and Eric Callegari, with a notable contribution from newcomer Ivan Vilcauskas. Assists came from Ryleigh Anderson, David Padgham (2), Joshua Pollock and Cameron Davitt. Padgham earned the game's third star.
Mission's first line of veterans did the yeoman's work that night, with Ryan Sharma earning first star for two goals and David McGowan the second star for three assists.
The Kodiaks face the Abbotsford Pilots in their home opener Friday night at MSA Areena before hosting the Ridge Meadows Flames next Wednesday, Sept. 16 at Aldergrove Arena. Puck drop is 7:15 p.m.
KURT LANGMANN PHOTOS
Aldergrove Kodiaks keeper Naythan Lange along with Wyatt Versluis and Dryden Wust prepare to defend their end in the Sept. 9 home opener versus Mission City Outlaws.
Aldergrove Kodiak Joshua Pollock races for the Mission City Outlaws end zone Sept. 9 at Aldergrove Arena.
Aldergrove Kodiak Kyle Bosko out-muscles Mission City Outlaw player for the puck, with Kodiak Dryden Wust close behind.
Aldergrove Kodiak Matt Oliver failed to get this shot past Outlaws keeper Matthew Sawyer but Kodiaks Ivan Vilcauskas and Eric Callegari scored one apiece minutes later in the second period.
It wasn't Outlaws keeper Matthew Sawyer's prettiest save but he did manage to keep the Kodiaks scoreless in the third period, Sept. 9 at Aldergrove Arena.
Kodiaks piled the pressure on Outlaws keeper Matthew Sawyer in the third period's dying minutes but were unable to score.
Aldergrove Kodiaks Brandon Dolby (assisted by #93 Ryleigh Anderson) opened the scoring against Mission City Outlaws in the first period, Sept. 9 at Aldergrove Arena.