AUSTIN, Minn. – Ben Oakland netted his first two goals in junior hockey while Mason Poolman added three assists as the Bruins took down the Bobcats, 5-1 on Saturday night.
Austin came into Saturday night’s game with a vengeance after dropping the game on Friday night to Bismarck, and though it wasn’t until the second period the Bruins struck first for the second time in the series. Early in the middle frame, Carson Riddle ended the Bruins power-play scoring drought against Bismarck with an expertly redirected puck. Riddle’s goal was his eighth of the season and added to his team-leading points total. The Bruins added to their lead later in the period when Barrett Brooks pounded home his 15th goal of the season, the highest total on the Bruins so far the season, and gave Austin the 2-0 lead. Bismarck bounced back in the final two minutes of the second period with a goal from Jon Ziskie. After two periods, the Bruins clung to a one-goal lead.
In the third, Austin broke open. Ben Oakland netted his first NAHL goal on an opportunistic play after a loose puck landed on his stick and he slammed it home. With the lead 3-1, Connor Mylymok got his second point of the night, this time a goal when he redirected a Ben Dexheimer point-shot past Bismarck goalie Tommy Aitken to increase the Bruins lead to 4-1. Just to put the icing on the cake when Oakland netted his second goal of the night, and his junior hockey career, with a goal that ramped off his stick. Austin walked away with the victory, 5-1, and improved to 14-24-4-2 while the Bobcats slipped to 25-16-2-3. Tyler Shea was a rock in goal for the Bruins, only allowing the one goal on 30 total shots. On the other side, Aitken stopped 23 of 25 total shots in the loss.
Up next for the Bruins, they head to Richfield, MN, on Wednesday night for their second game of the season against the Minnesota Magicians. Following their mid-week showdown, the Bruins head to Minot to take on the Minotauros for a pair of games at the Pepsi Rink at Maysa Arena. The next home game for the Bruins comes on April 23 and 24 against the Minotauros at Riverside Arena. Tickets for that game are available online at www.austinbruins.com/single-game-tickets.
