Rookie forwards Joe Wallington and Ryan Kromann played with the Outlaws in their 2008 summer session, demonstrating chemistry between the two.  New defenseman Al Koller had played with the Outlaws a couple of summers back.  And recently-added goalie Craig Schellenbach is returning to HNA after an absence of a few years.

 

They replace goalie David Brandt, who joined the Stingers over the summer, the injured Omar Baig, frequent scratch Chad Caudill, and high-priced rental Justin Schoenfelder.  The Outlaws are hopeful that the injured Bill Gould will be able to rejoin the team sometime this season, and have left one spot open on the roster.

 

The Outlaws introduced their new teammates to the squad’s usual style of play, falling behind early in the game.  With an Icedogs penalty for too many men on the ice about to expire, the Outlaws turned the puck over at their own blue line, and Bob Cohen scored just 5 minutes into the game to put the Outlaws down 1-0.

 

Early in the second period, newcomer Wallington took an outlet pass, skated most of the length of the ice, and tallied to even the score at 1-1.  But a few minutes later, the Icedogs reclaimed the lead, once again as a penalty against their team was expiring, as Rich Herman fired a shot from just inside the Outlaws blue line past Schellenbach. 

 

Forward Jim Owens, converted from the defense position he has played for the past three seasons, evened the score a few minutes later for the Outlaws, although the HNA website credits Sean McCloskey with that marker.  When asked about the goal after the game Owens responded, “I lept high off the ice and gloved a clearing pass with my left hand, probably saving a breakaway, then settled the puck and put the inside cheese move on the onrushing defender, throwing him completely off balance and quite possibly breaking his ankle in the process, then after a nifty dangle on their all world defenseman I completely stoned the goalie with a fake backhand, rendering him helpless to defend the rocket quick release of my forehand snapper, upstairs where grandma don’t clean, all twine all the time, sorry about your water bottle roof job.”

 

So, after the second period, the score was knotted at 2-2, with the Icedogs having killed off all 4 of their penalties, and even managing to score their goals as time expired on two of them.  However, the penalties taken in the third period would be somewhat more eventful.

New Icedog Pavel Nadin was whistled for his second roughing penalty of the night just a few minutes into the third.  One minute into that penalty, Outlaw defenseman Mike Unterreiner wandered into the slot, scooped up a loose rebound and lifted it over the sprawling Icedogs netminder, to give the Outlaws a lead they would not relinquish.  When asked for his comments after the game, Unterreiner said, “With the man advantage, I could see that I was the guy they weren’t covering.  I thought I’d better get involved.”

 

Clinging to a 3-2 lead, with about a minute to go in the game, the Outlaws somehow screwed up a line change, sending 3 forwards out to replace 2 that had come off the ice.  The Outlaw bench realized the mistake about 15 seconds before the refs did, but were unable to drag one of their wayward forwards off the ice undetected.  So the Icedogs pulled their goalie, giving them a 6 on 4 advantage on their power play.  Shortly after the ensuing faceoff, Wallington corralled a loose puck near the Outlaw blue line, and fired it 120 feet into the vacant net for a 4-2 Outlaw lead.  But the Icedogs continued applying pressure, as Keith Overbeck scored with 15 seconds to go in the game to draw the Icedogs within one.

 

But the Icedogs were unable to mount pressure in the final 15 seconds of even-strength play, and the Outlaws escaped with a 4-3 victory.  Outlaws goalie Schellenbach stopped 22 of 25 shots, including a few spectacular saves.

 

After hearing the pointless drivel from Owens and Unterreiner about their goals, this reporter decided not to bother the rookie Wallington for any comment about his two-goal outburst in his inaugural performance.