Outlaws update
Published on October 31, 2007 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
North Iowa Outlaws News Release
This didn't go as planned for the North Iowa Outlaws, after a tough game on Friday night which snapped the Outlaws 6 game winning streak. In Alexandria on Friday night, the Outlaws couldn't seem to put the pieces together, but on Saturday they rebounded in a big way with a 8-2 win.
This Weekend the Outlaws head on the road and we talked to Brooks DeZellar about his return trip to play his former team. Also, Shea Walters is still on his pointstreak, and the Outlaws remain unbeaten at home.
North Iowa Outlaws Hockey: Nothin' But a Good Time!
DeZellar Ready for Return Trip to Fargo
After spending three months in his second home, Brooks DeZellar is headed back to his old home, making his first appearance at the John E. Carlson Coliseum since being traded to North Iowa in the off season. DeZellar spent a year with the Jets before being sent to the Outlaws in a trade that sent Fargo native and former Outlaws Erick Galt back home to the Jets and brought the Eden Prairie forward DeZellar to Mason City. "I've enjoyed my time in Mason City," Dezellar said. "It's a great place to play; we have great fans and a good team so it's been fun so far. The move has worked out and I am extremely happy to be an Outlaw."
This weekend when the Outlaws head to Fargo, DeZellar will make is first trip back to his old stomping grounds and step on the ice wearing a different jersey in front of a lot of familiar faces. "I know and talk to a lot of the guys that were there last season," DeZellar added. "Off the ice we are still buddies, but once the puck drops it is all business." In addition, DeZellar says the Carlson Coliseum has a great atmosphere to play in, but it doesn't compare to the North Iowa Ice Arena.
"The Carlson is a nice place to play, but the fans just don't seem to get into the game as much," DeZellar said of the crowd. "In Mason City they seem to cheer for individuals and the team, and never stop screaming. Our fans are the best in Junior Hockey and it makes Mason City a great place to play. DeZellar says the crowd may be different, but the playing in the Carlson for a season will help him adapt to the unusual ice surface. The rink at the Carlson is smaller then the usual ice in the NAHL. Unlike the North Iowa Ice Arena, the Carlson Coliseum is shorter and narrower then the ice in Mason City.
"It's hard to get used to playing on the small ice, and a huge advantage to Fargo who practices and plays there everyday," DeZellar said. "It will take a little getting used to, but if we play with speed and our game then I think we will be just fine." The Outlaws enter the weekend against the Jets in first place in the Central Division, with the Jets just two points back. The Outlaws and the Jets face-off in the next six games for the Outlaws, four on the road before two at home on November 23rd & 24th. North Iowa Outlaws: Nothin' But a Good Time!
Outlaws Split with Blizzard
The North Iowa Outlaws had their six game winning streak snapped Friday night as the headed to Alexandria for a match-up against the Blizzard. North Iowa fell behind and never seemed to recover as Alexandria skated to a 3-2 victory. The first period came and went with nothing exciting as neither team had a real scoring chance, and only nine shots were fired on goal. Alexandria turn 8 shots at Moss who held strong, while Blizzard netminder Ryan Leets only saw one shot on goal, with no major threat. In the second, Luke Nesper came out and gave the Blizzard the early lead scoring on a rebound in front, and Alexandria looked as if they would take control, forcing Coach Boitz to call a timeout to calm his team down.
After his team settled, the second period still was without a lot of action until late in the period when the Outlaws got something going. Shea Walters extended his pointstreak to nine games when he walked down the wall and found Brooks DeZellar who fired a shot at Leets. The rebound kicked out to Kyle Poiltz who slide the puck on the ice off the post and in to tie the game at one. In the third, the Blizzard got a pair of goals from Jascha Pettit and Mikael Licktig to make it a 3-1 game with under a minute to play. North Iowa battled back to 3-2 when Tyler Jundt scored with :32 seconds left in the game, but it wasn't enough as the Blizzard handed North Iowa their second loss in regulation and snapped the Outlaws six game winning streak.
Coming off a bad outing the night before in which the Outlaws saw their six game winning streak snapped at the hands on the Alexandria Blizzard on the road, North Iowa came out and avenged that loss in a big way. In was a big night in the scoring category as the Outlaws tie the franchise high for most goals in a game in an 8-2 rout of the Blizzard, avenging the prior loss in a big way.
North Iowa fell behind a minute into the game when the Blizzard scored on the power play, only to spark the Outlaws and fire the team up. A little over three and a half minutes later, Jack Paul found the board with a deflection on a Matt Morin shot. Tyler Romasco tagged his first point of the game in which he'd finish with four points.
A little over ten minutes had passed in a 1-1 game before North Iowa struck again to take the lead for good. Joe Harcharik found the back of the net, to give North Iowa a 2-1 lead after one period. In the second, Bryant Skarda got in on the action, scoring 1:09 into the period to make it 3-1, and Travis Peckskamp notched his first career goal just over two minutes later to give the Outlaws a two goal cushion heading into the third.
In the final frame it was all North Iowa, scoring four more goals, started by Peckskamp's second of the night at the 13 minute mark. Alexandria answered however; sneaking a second passed Robby Moss who stopped 30 of 32 shots on goal. After the Blizzard pulled within two, they pulled their goalie and the Outlaws made them pay for the early move as Brooks Dezellar scored an empty net goal to make it 6-2. Minutes later, Tyler Romasco scored his first goal of the game, adding to his three assists he tallied earlier in the contest. Finishing off the scoring was Shea Walters with a nice goal that kept his ten game point streak intact. Walters has tallied a point in the last ten Outlaws game, the longest active and season long streak in the NAHL.
North Iowa improved to 9-2-1 on the season as they depart on a three week long, four game road trip to Fargo, ND. The Outlaws play the Jet in Fargo next Thursday and Friday before taking a weekend off, and then back to Fargo for another pair. North Iowa is back at home on the 23rd of November to celebrate Homecoming, with special one-of-a-kind jerseys that will be auctioned off after the game.
Outlaws Forward on a Streak, Now at 10 Games
NIO - Shea Walters: While his goal streak was broken, his points streak continues to climb and currently is the longest active streak at 10 games. Walters has 19 points over the six game stretch with 9 goals and 10 assists.
North American Hockey League Stories from October 31, 2007
- U.S. National Under-18 Team Weekly - U.S. National Team
- IceDiggers play host to USA U-17 - Alpena IceDiggers
- Outlaws update - North Iowa Outlaws
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