Utah Keys To Success

The Utah Outliers have been one of the teams to watch from the Mountain Division so far this season. Entering Veteran’s Day weekend, the Outliers sit in third place in the Mountain, just six points behind first-place Ogden. Here are some of the key factors behind Utah’s success.

The Outliers have been effective at shutting down the opposing offenses. In Utah’s 12 wins so far, they have held their opponent to one goal or fewer in nine of those games, including four shutouts. The goaltending duo of Dawson Rodin and Otto Saxin has stymied the competition with .948 and .958 save percentages respectively. With the Mountain Division wielding some of the league’s best scorers, the Outliers will look to continue silencing offenses as the season progresses.

While Utah has done a superb job keeping the puck out of their net, they have also enjoyed lighting the lamp on the man advantage. The Outliers hold the fifth-best power play in the WSHL with a 23.8% conversion rate. Utah has scored at least one power-play goal in six of their last seven contests. The Outliers have shown that they can take advantage of opportunities given to them and that is why they find themselves in the top half of the division standings.

Utah has defended their home ice well to start the season, winning all seven of their home games so far. They are one of six teams in the WSHL to have a perfect record at home after the first weekend of November. In West Valley City, the Outliers have outscored their opponents 42-7 and have posted two shutouts. It will be a while before Utah gets a chance to play in front of their home crowd again as their next home series is Dec. 1-3 against Lake Tahoe.