AUSTIN, Minn. – As we near the final month of summer, the Bruins are looking forward to taking the ride up I-35 to NSC Super Rink in Blaine, Minnesota for the 2021 NAHL Showcase. The Bruins have not won a Showcase Tournament since they went back-to-back in 2013 & 2014.
The Bruins will begin their sequence of games on September 15, at 4:45 P.M. against the Wichita Falls Warriors. These two teams have never faced off against each other, as the Warriors are heading into only their second season as a franchise. In their inaugural 2020-21 season, Wichita Falls put together an impressive record as they went 30-19-1-6 in their 56 game regular season. In the 2020-2021 playoffs, the Warriors swept the Lone Star Brahmas in the division semifinals, then got swept by the Shreveport Mudbugs, who ended up winning the 2020-2021 Robertson Cup, the following week. Although they are a new franchise in the North American Hockey League, they will definitely be a test for the Bruins.
24 hours after the Bruins drop puck with the Warriors, they will drop puck with the Fairbanks Ice Dogs, on September 16, at 4:45 P.M.
The Fairbanks Ice Dogs have been a squad the Bruins have struggled against in recent history. These two teams met each other in the 2014 Robertson Cup Finals, where Fairbanks managed to sweep the Bruins in two games, by scores of 5-4 and 6-2. Since then, the Bruins are 2-4 against the Ice Dogs. With a 9-4 victory on September 20th, 2014, and a 3-2 victory on September 22, 2015.
The two squads met four times in the 2020-21 season, resulting in four victories for Fairbanks. With the Ice Dogs outscoring the Bruins 18-10 in those four meetings.
On September 17, the Bruins will drop puck at 10:45 A.M. against the New Jersey Titans. Another new face for the Bruins squad. The Titans made their way into the 2020-2021 playoffs with a regular-season record of 27-20-7. They did not make it far into the playoffs, as they fell in the first round to the Maine Nordiques 3-2 in the best of five series.
The fourth and final matchup for the Bruins is a team they are familiar with, the Minnesota Magicians. Puck will drop for this game on September 18th, at 5:15 P.M. These teams have seen each other recently, and Bruins have definitely been the better team. In the last five seasons, the Bruins have a record of 7-0-0-1 against the Magicians. With just one 3-2 shootout loss on April 22, 2021.
All games in the NAHL 2021 Showcase can be watched online on HockeyTV.
