Mission and Maple Ridge renew hostilities tonight in Junior B hockey action.
The Ridge Meadows Flames meet the Mission City Outlaws tonight in exhibition play, at 7:30 p.m. at Cam Neely Arena. It will be a preview of their coming Pacific Junior Hockey League season opener next Friday.
The two teams will face off in their first game of the regular season on Sept. 16, at 7:30 p.m., back at The Cam in Maple Ridge.
The Flames have won all three of their prior pre-season games. After tonight’s contest, they will take on the Panthers at the Port Moody Arena on Saturday, in their final exhibition contest.
The Outlaws are coming off a 4-1 win over the Chilliwack Jets on Sept. 4, and the game tonight will be one of four pre-season games they are playing. They are 1-1.
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The two North Fraser rivals haven’t met in a playoff round since the 2015-16 season, but they compete for talent. Last year, Mission had goaltender Max Fowle of Maple Ridge on the roster, and he played 14 games, posting a record of 7-2 with a 0.897 save percentage in his rookie campaign. There were other kids from Ridge Meadows Minor Hockey as well.
These two teams played six regular season games last season, with the Flames going 4-2.
Good luck to our athletes who are at JRA camps & on their way to camps! Lots of work put in by all, play hard! We’d also like to send our best to a record 23 athletes who skated this spring & summer with us off to: BCHL, AJHL, SJHL, NOJHL, CCHL, WHL, BCIHL, U-Sports, pro camps. pic.twitter.com/MtYKd8IdWS
— Ridge Meadows Flames (@flamesjunior) September 1, 2022
The rosters of Junior B teams will not be really set for the early season until Junior A teams make their final cuts. The Flames have several players trying out, and recently tweeted about a half dozen potential Flames who are trying to move up to the next level.
Preseason tickets are $5 at the door, with students and children free.
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