WAYNE, NJ – A week ago, the New Jersey Outlaws let a slow start get the best of them. Saturday night, they again took a while to find the back of the net, only this time it didn’t result in a loss.
The Outlaws used a four-goal outburst in the second period to defeat the Cape Cod Bluefins by the score of 4-0 at the Capital One Ice Vault. Travis Kauffeldt and Trevor Karasiewicz led the offensive attack with a goal and assist each in support of goalie Dan McWhinney who earned his 20th win of the season and first shutout.
Given the way the standings looked going into Saturday’s game, every meeting between the Outlaws and the Bluefins through the rest of the season is a potential playoff preview. With New Jersey getting ever so close to locking up the number one seed, it is conceivable that Cape Cod could be the Outlaws’ first round opponent. That and a loud, boisterous crowd of 971 fans – many of them kids – made the atmosphere inside the Ice Vault an exciting one.
Last Saturday, New Jersey was held off the scoreboard in the opening period by Brooklyn while the Aviators netted two. Cape Cod tried to emulate that strategy by pushing the tempo and putting pressure on the Outlaws. Unlike last week, McWhinney was able to hold the visitors at bay, stopping all 14 of Cape Cod’s shots. Down the other end, Bluefins net minder Tyler O’Brien wasn’t as busy, facing and thwarting all six New Jersey shots as the first twenty minutes finished scoreless.
The quickly-paced contest took a decidedly home team turn in the second. It began when Matthew Puntureri opened the scoring at the 2:35 mark with the assists going to Kevin Cooper and Jason Reese. Things stayed that way for quite a while as McWhinney and O’Brien went save-for-save for over ten minutes. Finally at the 13:44 mark, Karasiewicz found a way to best O’Brien for his fifth goal since joining the team. Newly acquired Jeff Winchester and Kauffeldt – all three former teammates in the SPHL with Huntsville – got the assists.
Less than a minute later, Winchester and Anthony Battaglia combined to set up team captain Kauffeldt for his 36th goal and 80th point of the season. Reese capped the scoring for the period when Puntureri and Karasiewicz set him up for his 11th goal of the year at 17:04.
All that was left for the Outlaws to accomplish was getting the shutout for their goalie. McWhinney, who has recorded the fewest losses in the FHL and leads in goals against average (2.56), continued his perfect play by stopping all seven of Cape Cod’s shots in the final period. For the game, the Bluefins out-shot the Outlaws 29-28.
With only four penalties called in the game (two to each side), the contest was played in a brisk two hours and 13 minutes. The three stars for the game were McWhinney (first), Reese (two) and Karasiewicz (three).
Contact the author at gary.marchese@prohockeynews.com
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