Zinnen Shines in Net in First Meeting with Casper

PARK CITY, UT — The Park City Outliers (6-1-0-0) topped the Casper Warbirds (2-4-1-0) with a 4-1 victory at the Black Rock Mountain Event Center on Friday night. Park City netminder Will Zinnen held Casper off the board for the first 58 minutes and 59 seconds through six penalty kills and one minute and 56 seconds of a seventh.

The Wisconsin-native smiled while recapping his fourth win in as many starts. He said, “I was feeling great throughout.”

“Rebound control is really important, not just for me but for [the defensemen],” Zinnen continued after stopping 23 of 24 shots. Reflecting on the help from his forwards, the 19-year-old said, “They had tons of offensive zone time. That makes it a lot easier for me. Even if they’re not shooting, if they’re in our defensive zone, they still have pressure, and we did a great job hemming them in their zone.”

Park City won the battle of shots on goal, outdoing Casper 30-24. The Outliers laid the pressure on early, as well, scoring just five and a half minutes into the contest. Rookie Hank Hughes continued his point streak to six with a power play strike. With about four and a half minutes remaining in the second, second-year Grant Barksdale buried his second game-winning goal in as many contests.

The insurance arrived in the third period from newcomer Jonathan Lee, laying in a power play goal around six and a half minutes in. Forward Laker Pearson wrapped up the home scoring with his first tally inside the friendly confines, with nine and a half minutes remaining.

The Outliers finish their third-straight win two-for-four with the man-advantage.

Next up, Park City hits the road for Vernal for an 8:00 p.m. puck drop on Saturday night before returning on Friday, Oct. 23 to rematch with Casper. The second opening puck drop of 14 total meetings against the Warbirds stands set for 7:05 p.m. Fans can purchase tickets online at www.pcoutliers.com/tickets.