Bruins Win Season Opener 5-1 Against Bulls
September 21, 2024 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Austin Bruins News Release
MASON CITY, IOWA - The Austin Bruins (1-0-0-0) opened up the regular season with a 5-1 victory on the road against the North Iowa Bulls (0-1-0-0). The win marked the eleventh season opening victory in the team's 15-year history.
The Bruins hit the ground running with strong pressure in the first period. The Bulls recorded the first shot of the game but wouldn't see another shot on goal for the rest of the period. The Bruins struck first at 9:29 into the first period thanks to returning forward Connor Beckwith.
Thunder Bay, Ontario native EJ Paddington tacked on his first North American Hockey League goal on a rebound chance from linemates Luc Malkhassian and Alex Laurenza. The Black and Gold kept the momentum rolling into the second frame thanks to an early power play chance. Alex Laurenza, the team's leading returning scorer, buried a power play goal just 99 seconds into the second period.
By the end of the game, the line of Laurenza (2-0-2), Paddington (2-1-3) and Malkhassian (0-4-0) combined for a total of nine points and were a part of every goal but Beckwith's.
Netminder Jack Solomon stopped eleven of 12 shots he saw, allowing a late third period goal from Bulls forward Luke Gustafson.
The Bruins return to action this week in Blaine, Minnesota for the NAHL Showcase. The team will see action three times this week against teams from other divisions in the NAHL. Wednesday, September 25th against the Elmira Aviators (2:00 pm); Thursday, September 26th against the New Hampshire Mountain Kings (10:15 am); and Saturday, September 28th against the New Mexico Ice Wolves (2:30 pm).
All Showcase games will be streamed on NAHLTV.
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