AUSTIN, MN – The Aberdeen Wings came from behind in regulation and the shootout to top the Bruins, 3-2 on Friday night at Riverside Arena. The result further tightened the Central Division standings, tying Austin and Aberdeen for fourth at 41 points each.
The Wings scored the only goal of the opening period when Nathan Burke scooped up a rebound and cashed it behind Alex Schilling at 7:25. Aberdeen held an 8-5 shot edge through 20 minutes.
Early in the second, just after a power play had expired, Justin Misiak tied the score, bobbling a puck all the way to the net and eventually past Forbes Ploszaj at the 2:38 mark. Austin would take its first lead at 12:40 with a power play goal by Travis Kothenbeutel, his team-leading 17th of the season. Assists went to Jan Stefka and Misiak. Aberdeen dominated the rest of the period but entered the third down 2-1.
Carson Dimoff tied the game 3:31 into the third with a hard wrister from the right faceoff circle. That would be the last goal of regulation and after a scoreless 3-on-3 OT, the first shootout of the season at Riverside Arena would commence. Jon Richards scored in round one to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead. With the Wings needing to score to extend the game, Andy Carroll ripped a shot top shelf in round three to tie it up. After Jan Stefka was stopped by Ploszaj, Joey Strada put the moves on Schilling and gave Aberdeen the advantage. Ploszaj stopped Misiak to end it. The Wings outshot the Bruins 27-21 and got their 7th win win trailing after two periods.
The Bruins will try to bounce back on Saturday night, hosting the Wings again at 7:05. Fans can pre-purchase tickets for $4 off the door price at any of the four ticket vendors.
