The St. Louis Missouri Mastodons traveled down I-70 East for the Missouri Showdown versus the Kansas City Smoke. On Saturday 9/26 the Mastodons took a commanding commanding lead and were able to hold off KC’s push to win 25-8.
On Sunday 9/27 after the first period the Dons were up 4-0 in a tight match, but the weather wouldn’t allow for the game to continue. The wind from the storm blew the rain onto the floor/surface, and the match was called for player safety.
This weekend at Ozaukee Ice Center in Milwaukee we had a huge Conference showdown in what could possibly be a Championship sneak preview between two strong contenders in the Milwaukee Muskies and Chicago Outlaws! Each team came away with a Win over the weekend, and now their best of 3 games series is tied. We will see who draws first in Eastern Conference on September 26th when the Muskies head downstream for a Shootout in Chicago.
Unfortunately the Sioux Falls Stealth couldn’t hide this weekend after being spotted by the STL Missouri Mastodons in Kansas City. St. Louis won both games improving their undefeated Western conference record to 3-0.
Hot Shooting Hoists Muskies over Outlaws
After defeating the Muskies on Saturday, September 12th, the Outlaws looked to pick up where they left off in the second game of their first back to back of the season. However, the Muskies came out of the gate shooting lights out, scoring on multiple attempts from outside. On the other side of the ball, the Muskies stymied the Outlaws’ usually-efficient offense, not allowing them to get clean scoring opportunities, and getting save after save when they did. After an early goal by Bailey Smith, the Outlaws were kept quiet for the rest of the first period.
The second started out as much of the same for the Muskies, who were able to net 3 goals before goalie Ben “Soup” Campbell was able to make his first save. On the defensive end, it became clear in the second period that Outlaw’s defensive unit was gassed from the Muskies constantly pushing transition and forcing early turnovers, hardly giving Chicago defensemen any rest off the floor. The Muskies started out the game hitting outside shots, and eventually used that threat to their advantage, finding skip passes on the doorstep, leaving Campbell (24 sv, 15 ga) seeing too many inside shots. However, the Outlaws refused to go down without a fight, clawing back from a 9-2 defecit to make it 8-14 heading into the final frame. The Muskies explosive offense was too much for the Outlaws defense to handle, falling to a final score of 21-13 Muskies.
In part one of a back to back against the Milwaukee Muskies, the Chicago Outlaws came out with a 20-13 win that was much closer than the final score suggests. Both teams battled for the full 60 minutes to claim the top spot in the GPBLL standings, but it was the Outlaws who were able to push ahead in the final frame and take the win.
After a hot start by the Outlaws, who found a 3-0 lead after netting 2 shorthanded goals, the Muskies bounced back quickly to tie the game at 6 before the first intermission. Throughout period two, the Outlaws and Muskies continued to trade blows, with the Muskies holding onto a 12-11 lead heading into the second intermission. It was the Muskies dominant performance at the faceoff X and time of possession through 40 minutes that gave them the upper hand. Through two periods, the Muskies sat at 17-26 on faceoffs, and spent much of the second period on the power-play.
The Outlaws came out firing on all cylinders from the second intermission and never seemed to take their foot off the gas. Despite struggling mightily through the first two periods, faceoff man Remy Giacotto went 9/10 in the third period, not losing a single faceoff until less than nine minutes remained in the game. This gave the Outlaws offense the spark they needed to get going and kept the defense fresh as the Muskies were outscored 9-1 in the final period. However, it was the goalie play that really kept this game out of reach, as Ben “Soup” Campbell racked up 16 saves and allowed a single goal in the third period.
Offensively, the Outlaws were led by stellar performances by Jack Moran and Jack Spallone, who each finished the game with 6 goals and 4 assists. Spallone showed his toughness in the final frame as he netted 5 of his 6 goals and added 1 assist. Geoff Harty (2g, 5a) and Bailey Smith (3g, 4a) also were key contributors on an offense that refused to quit against the physical defense of the Muskies, an attribute that the Outlaws roster seems to boast from top to bottom.
Despite the Outlaws scoring 20 goals, it was the defense that was the real key to victory. Their sturdy defense shut down the Muskies’ powerplay unit time and time again, as Alec Piironen scored shorthanded on two separate occasions. Even when down two men, the Outlaws forced the Muskies into turnovers consistently and showed their strength on defense. With stellar play from goalies Chris Smith (6ga, 13sv) and Campbell (7ga, 28sv), this team may be the toughest to score on in the GPBLL.
The Chicago Outlaws will be wearing an “ADK” sticker on their helmets in honor of Arnold Dean Kincaid. The Outlaws family lost a hero. Arnold was a World War II veteran as well as the grandfather of our president. Thanks to Arnold; the Chicago Outlaws and our practice facility @athletesacademy340 wouldn’t be around without him and his influence. We battle for Arnie! This weekends 18-16 victory over @mo_mastodons was “for Arnie” as those words were repeated all night. #wePlayForArnie #ADK #RIP #BestWishesForTheKincaidFamily #Family #GPBLL @GPBLL
