CLOQUET, Minn. – Jed Pietila’s overtime goal caps off a run of three unanswered goals in the third period and overtime to help the Bruins take down the Wilderness 4-3, on Saturday.
After falling down 1-0 in the first. the Bruins were able to battle back and tie the game thanks to Ben Almquist. The University of Wisconsin-commit netted his first goal of the night, his third of the season, to even things at 1-1. Later in the second, the Wilderness regained their lead with a last-minute goal off the stick of Jack Johnson.
In the third, the Wilderness increased their lead to 3-1 when Brandon McNamara slipped a shot through the five-hole of Bruins goaltender Kyle McClellan, but Austin didn’t give up hope. Dante Sheriff helped the black-and-gold pull within one when he danced around a defender making a nice move and going top-shelf on Wilderness goalie Kaleb Johnson. With the score 3-2 and McClellan on the bench for the extra attacker, Almquist found the back of the net thanks to a beautiful feed from Sheriff. The tic-tac-toe passing helped Almquist score his second goal of the night but more importantly, tied the game at three goals apiece with on 14.1 seconds left.
In overtime, the Bruins capped off their comeback with their third unanswered goal and the third goal of the weekend for Jed Pietila. Pietila took a pass from Kyle Herbster and maneuvered the puck on goal. It hit low on the post and came back out before being redirected off a Wilderness player and crossing the line to seal the game for the Bruins.
With the win, the Bruins improved to 26-15-0-6 on the season while the Wilderness fall to 23-19-2-2 with the loss. The Bruins return home for their next three games, the first two against the first-place Aberdeen Wings. Tickets for the Bruins weekend showdown against the Wings go on sale at all the Bruins vendors including Games People Play, Hy-Vee, Holiday Inn, and Jim’s Marketplace, this Monday, February 25.
