The North Vancouver Wolf Pack put in a hard-working effort Saturday night at Harry Jerome Arena but came up short in a 4–1 loss to the Mission City Outlaws. Backed by a strong performance from goaltender Marcus Taylor, the Pack held their own through much of the contest but couldn’t find enough offence to erase a second-period deficit.
After a tight, scoreless first period, the Outlaws broke through just 34 seconds into the middle frame when Brayden Candy opened the scoring. The Wolf Pack answered midway through the period as Gus Tucker converted on the power play, burying a feed from Ciaran Henry and Ryan Tse to tie the game 1–1. The goal energized the home crowd and briefly swung momentum in North Vancouver’s favour.
Mission regained the lead later in the second when Cade Peden finished a rebound at 15:09 to make it 2–1. Despite generating several quality chances before the intermission, the Pack couldn’t solve Outlaws goaltender Evan Zoppi, who turned aside a number of dangerous looks to preserve the visitors’ advantage.
The Wolf Pack pressed early in the third period but were stung by an early counterattack, as Colton Collard extended Mission’s lead to 3–1 at 2:54. North Vancouver continued to battle and kept up pressure late, but an empty-net goal by Cooper Crowe at 18:01 sealed the outcome. Marcus Taylor finished the night with 47 saves on 50 shots in a performance that kept his club within reach.
Though the final scoreline wasn’t flattering, the Wolf Pack’s compete level and special-teams play showed promise. Their lone power-play marker and an improved defensive effort were positives to build on as they look to rebound in their next outing. With the structure and effort displayed Saturday, North Vancouver remains confident that more consistent results are within reach.
