Blizzard Hand Bruins First Home Loss

December 13, 2013 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Austin Bruins News Release

All good things come to and end, and Friday night, the Austin Bruins (18-9-1) home unbeaten streak was snapped in a 3-1 loss to the Brookings Blizzard (6-16-6) at Riverside Arena in Austin.

The Bruins came out firing early in the first period, testing new Blizzard goaltender Connor Girard (Edina, MN) with a flurry of shots in the opening minutes. Austin outshot Brookings 14-7 in what turned out to be a scoreless first frame.

Again in the second period, the Bruins outshot the Blizzard (17-9), but could not solve Girard. After Austin s Eli May (Eagan, MN) fought Brookings Branislav Rapac (Spisska Nova Ves, Slovakia), the Blizzard scored the game s first goal on an offensive zone faceoff win. Evan Hesse (Monticello, MN) won the draw over to the slot, and Conor Andrle (St. Louis Park, MN) fired a quick wrist shot past Nick Lehr (Roseville, MN) at 15:10 of the period.

Early in the third, Brookings made it 2-0 on a 3-on-1, when Ryan Sete (Jackson, MI) carried the puck in on the right wing and fed a pass backdoor for Jeff Flicker (Long Beach, CA), who tapped it in. Less than two minutes later, Sete picked up a loose puck and ripped a low shot through the five-hole of Lehr, which gave the Blizzard a 3-0 lead. The Bruins got on the board midway through the period, when Jay Dickman (Shoreview, MN) centered a pass from behind the Brookings net to Lucas Kohls (Forest Lake, MN), whose one-timer snuck past Girard. Austin couldn t complete the comeback, as the Bruins were defeated for just the first time this season at home (10-1-0).

Girard stopped 35 saves for his first win of the season, while Lehr made 19 saves in the loss. Saturday, the Bruins travel to Brookings for the final time this season for a 7:15pm start. The game will be on fasthockey.com, and on the radio in Austin on 1480AM KAUS.

• Discuss this story on the North American Hockey League message board...

North American Hockey League Stories from December 13, 2013

• Bulls Fall to Topeka 3-1 - Amarillo Bulls
• Bismarck vanquishes Minot in shootout, 3-2 (1-0 SO) - Bismarck Bobcats
• Topeka Runs out Amarillo 3-1 - Topeka Pilots
• Bobcats Win Shootout Thriller over Minot - Bismarck Bobcats
• Aberdeen's Comeback Falls Short, Wenatchee Wins 4-2 - Wenatchee Wild
• Rio Grande Valley Downs Lone Star, 2-0 - Lone Star Brahmas
• Wildcats Roll Past 'Rays for Third-Straight Win - Wichita Falls Wildcats
• Aberdeen's Comeback Falls Short, Wenatchee Wins 4-2 - Aberdeen Wings
• Poulsen's Goals Lift Topeka to 3-1 Victory over Amarillo - Topeka Pilots
• Coulee Region Downs MN Magicians, 2-1 - Minnesota Magicians
• Port Huron Stifles Johnstown's Comeback, Gains 5-3 - Port Huron Fighting Falcons
• Blizzard Hand Bruins First Home Loss - Austin Bruins
• Brookings Survives Austin Comeback, Wins 3-1 - Brookings Blizzard
• Winning Streak Comes to a Halt as 'Rays Fall 6-1 to Wildcats - Corpus Christi IceRays
• Aberdeen's Comeback Falls Short, Wenatchee Wins 4-2 - Wenatchee Wild
• Janesville boosted by Halladay's play in net, beats Springfield 2-1 - Springfield Jr. Blues
• Coulee Region Downs MN Magicians, 2-1 - Minnesota Magicians
• Friendly Rivalry? - Minot Minotauros
• Soo Eagles Split with Jamesville - Soo Eagles
• Eagles Deal McDowell to Bobcats - Soo Eagles
• Birzitis, Caruso Make Plays of the Week - Soo Eagles
• Soo Eagles Return Home to Face Michigan Warriors - Soo Eagles
• Bulls Weekend Preview at Topeka - Amarillo Bulls

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Austin Bruins Stories

• Bruins Advance to Central Division Final After 5-1 Win over Minot
• Lipsett Commits to Air Force Academy
• Robertson Cup Playoffs Central Division Semifinal Schedule Set
• Bruins Clinch Home Ice in Central Division Semi-Final
• Steve Howard Earns 250th Win as Bruins Head Coach