WILKIE — The Sask. West Hockey League championship final has Wilkie holding the advantage winning the first two games. The Outlaws have an opportunity to capture the league title March 17 on home ice.
Reigning SWHL champions, Macklin Mohawks, will dig deep in hopes of stopping this from happening.
A full house in Wilkie March 10 helped energize the team to a decided 9-2 victory on home ice in game one of the best-of-five SWHL final series. Brock Harrison had four points, with two goals and two assists in the win, while Ryan Keller netted a hat trick and three assists in the win.
The Mohawks would not go down without a fight and the team took an early lead with home-ice advantage in game two held in Macklin. Strong play for both sides sent game two in Macklin to double overtime before a victor was decided, with Wilkie capturing a stranglehold second victory.
Outlaws and senior hockey fans will pack the SaskCan arena for a St. Patrick’s Day game and they hope to watch the home team re-capture the league championship on home ice. Wilkie’s incentive is avenging the loss in the 2022 season to the Mohawks.
“March 12 was a hard-fought game, which is typically what we see when we come up against Macklin,” says Derek Keller of the Outlaws.
“They played us extremely hard, but I was really proud of how the guys responded after giving up a late lead, yet again, which is something we’ve been struggling with the last few games. It was great to see a guy that has put in so much time with the team (Rick Cey) score the overtime winner as well as those are memories that last a lifetime.
“We’re certainly looking forward to game three and hoping for a great crowd, as we will need all the support we can get to try and finish off a young, talented Mohawk team,” adds Keller.