AUSTIN, MINN. – Ally Mostafaie joined the Bruins just days before the team opened the 2026-27 regular season and on Friday night the Toronto native scored in overtime to complete the Bruins’ three-goal comeback to topple the Watertown Shamrocks 3-2.
The opening period saw both teams go back and forth with scoring opportunities, with both finding nothing solid goaltenders or the iron of posts to send the game to the first intermission scoreless.
The Shamrocks struck first with forward Kirill Borodulin finding the back of the net twice in the second period’s first five minutes.
Bruins newcomer Hudson Weber-Stewart battled his way from the neutral zone all the way to the net front, beating 2026 Top Prospects selection Mason Gudridge to cut the lead in half at 17:41. Logan Brown would pick up his first career NAHL assist on the play.
Both team’s penalty boxes began to fill early in the third period after some post whistle roughing sent Austin’s Brown and Watertown’s Jake Pietila and Grady Dimberio to the penalty boxes with both two minute minor penalties for roughing and 10-minute misconducts. Weber-Stewart would exit the game with a five-minute major for cross checking and a game misconduct.
The Bruins would end up on a four-on-three powerplay during the major, after brothers Owen and Boone Chartier would end up in the penalty box for separate two minute minors.
The Bruins power play struggled to get anything going Friday, finishing the night 0/6 with the extra skater.
Veteran Kyle Sorensen stripped the puck away from a Shamrock defender and dangled his way down the slot and snuck the puck by the pad of a scrambling Gudridge to tie the game with just over four minutes to go in the third.
60 minutes was not enough to decide the matchup and after some back and forth chances, Mostafaie would walk down the right circle and cut across the crease to backhand in the game winner and seal the comeback.
Bruins netminder Dilans Birkans finished the night with 30 saves on 32 shots against.
The Austin has now won its last seven season openers, dating back to the 2020-21 season.
The Bruins and Shamrocks close out the weekend with a 6:05 puck drop on Saturday. Fans can get their tickets by visiting tickets.austinbruins.com.
