Black and Gold Shine in Commanding 5-0 Victory

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 Austin Bruins

Black and Gold Shine in Commanding 5-0 Victory

December 7, 2024 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Austin Bruins News Release


AUSTIN, MINN. - An hour-and-a-half delay is rarely advantageous for any team. While the home team remains at the arena, finding ways to stay active and occupied, the visiting team is left stranded aboard a broken-down bus, anxiously awaiting rescue from a replacement. On Friday night, the Austin Bruins (17-5-1-2) made the most of their home-ice advantage, overcoming the delay to deliver a commanding 5-0 shutout victory over the St. Cloud Norsemen (12-8-1-2).

Both teams came out flying to start the first period. With all the pent-up energy flowing the puck bounced furiously back and forth between Bruins and Norsemen sticks. Just over halfway through the opening frame, the red-hot Alex Laurenza snuck one by St. Cloud's Connor Roff just before the net came uprooted. The goal extended the reigning NAHL Forward of the Month's point streak to 15 straight games and marked his 20th of the year.

The Bruins would take the 1-0 lead into the first intermission before blowing the doors off the game in the second. The exhaustion from sitting on a bus caught up with the Norsemen as the Bruins continued their charge. Zander Lipsett and Luc Malkhassian each found the back of the net before Roff was subbed out in favor of Beck Liden.

With just seconds left on a late second period penalty kill, Malkhassian swiped a puck away in the neutral zone, busted by a Norsemen defender and sniped a shot past Liden for his first shorthanded goal of the year. The goal marked the fifth shorthanded of the year for Austin and the second in the last week.

Evan Malkhassian added more fuel to the fire with his second goal in as many games against the Norsemen at 13:03 in the third.

Jack Solomon, fresh off of a NAHL Central Division 1st Star of the Week performance, added to his resume a 23 save shutout, his second of the year.

The Black and Gold hit the road Saturday for their third straight contest against St. Cloud, with a 6:30 pm puck drop from the St. Cloud Municipal Athletic Complex.


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