Facing the Hornets for the second time this season, the Outlaws found themselves looking up from the bottom of a big hole early in their game Tuesday night.  The Hornets scored on each of the first three shifts of the game, and led 3-0 just over 3 minutes into the game. 

But the Outlaws fought back.  On the very next shift, Joe Wallington scored to give some hope.  Then, halfway through the period, Wallington struck again to draw the Outlaws within one.  And just over a minute after that, Ryan Kromann fought his way towards a rebound of a Wallington shot that was lying in the crease behind the fallen Hornet’s netminder, and shoved it home to tie the score.

So with just over 9 minutes played in the game, the score stood at 3-3, a sharp contrast to these two teams’ earlier meeting, where they played 65 minutes to a 1-1 tie.  The Outlaws were given an opportunity to build on the momentum they had just created when Hornet forward Scott Lowther was given a double-minor for roughing and ejected from the game.  The Outlaws were unable to capitalize on the 4 minute power play, and the first period came to a close without any further scoring.

Less than 4 minutes in to the second period, the Hornets added a goal from Peter Yaciuk, his second of the evening, to give the Hornets a lead they would not relinquish.  The game settled down at that point.  There were two penalties to the Hornets Cale Richardson in the second, but again the Outlaws were held off the scoreboard, and the period ended with the Hornets clinging to a 4-3 lead.

In the third period, the only two penalties were against the Outlaws John DePeneloza.  The first Hornet power play was uneventful.  The second occurred with a minute and a half left in the one-goal game, and the Outlaws attempted to pull their goalie as they were heading up-ice with the puck.  But a turnover in the neutral zone led to an empty-net power play goal by the Hornets’ Yaciuk, which gave him a hat trick and clinched the game.

The Outlaws were outshot in each of the three periods, and by a margin of 29-20 for the game.  The first matchup between these teams this season featured an emphasis on speed and skill.  This game, like those of past seasons was much more physical, as the Hornets returned to their usual combative selves.  The final score was Hornets 5, Outlaws 3.

The next game for the Outlaws will be Monday, December 8th against the Shock.  The Outlaws have given the division leaders their only defeat of the season, and hope to climb to within 1 point of first place by duplicating that feat.  It will be the Shock’s first game since before the Thanksgiving break.  Game time is 10:10 at the Ice Zone at St. Louis Mills.  A team meeting at Hotshots seems likely after the game.