Winning Ways Wane in Vernal

VERNAL, UT — The Park City Outliers (8-2-0-0) halted their five-game winning streak with a 4-2 road loss to the Vernal Oilers (4-4-1-1) on Saturday night. Outshot 40-22, Park City never trailed until the third period.

Head coach Richard Bohan emphasized the necessity for consistency through the middle period. He said, “It’s just about playing a full 60 minutes and not checking out, and it just seems like in the second sometimes we check out.”

Expanding on the period-to-period special teams, Bohan recalled, “I told the guys in the third period, ‘We’ve been on the powerplay in the second, so you gotta be careful because they’re gonna be looking for you.’”

That switch from the man-advantage to the man-down unit arrived in the form of four penalties against the Outliers in the third period compared to the Oilers’ zero. Both teams finished the game as a whole one-for-six on the powerplay.

“It’s just being locked in and dialed,” Bohan continued. “You gotta go back to the locker room after the first period whether we’re up or we’re down — we’re usually up — and reset.”

Halting 36 shots in the his first loss of the season, netminder Will Zinnen still proved to be a bright spot according to the headman. Bohan recapped, “I thought he was solid all night long. He kept us in it and made some big saves.”

Like the prior Saturday, a 5-4 win over Vernal, Park City enjoyed goals from the Alaska-born forwards with Grant Barksdale finding the back of the net in the first period and Burke Newton doing so in the second.

Park City returns home to rematch with the Warbirds on Sunday. Puck drop stands set for 5:05 p.m. at the Black Rock Mountain Event Center. Fans can purchase tickets online at www.pcoutliers.com/tickets.