CLOQUET, Minn. – The Austin Bruins scored a season high seven goals, four of them by way of the power-play, as they close out 2019 with a 7-3 win over the Wilderness.
In the final meeting between the Austin Bruins and Minnesota Wilderness this season, the Bruins were out for blood looking to avenge their 3-2 loss on Friday night. Austin wasted no time getting on the board when during a power-play, Dante Sheriff rifled a wrist-shot from the left circle which zoomed past Kaleb Johnson for the Bruins first goal of the night. With the lead 1-0, the Bruins built off the momentum when they scored only 40 seconds later. Barrett Brooks took a pass from Tiernan Shoudy and floated a wrister past the foot of Johnson and just like that the Bruins had a 2-0 lead. Later in the period, they extended their dominance when Carson Riddle scored the Bruins second power-play goal of the night making it 3-0 heading into the locker room.
After the first intermission, the Bruins pounced quickly. Sheriff found the back of the net for the second time of the night less than three minutes in. With the goal, Minnesota made a goaltender swap opting for Jonathan Mor over Johnson. Mor was in the game for under five minutes before the Bruins struck, this time Carson Riddle added his second goal of the night, again on the power-play, to make it 5-0 Austin. Peter Jacobs rounded out the second period scoring for Austin making it 6-0 with his sixth goal of the season. Minnesota was finally able to stop the bleeding when they got their first goal of the night late in the second period, and both teams headed to the locker room with Austin in the lead, 6-1.
Five minutes into the third period, the Bruins scored their season-high seventh goal of the night when Nate Solis struck gold on the power-play, the team’s fourth tally with the extra man, making it 7-1. Minnesota would add two late-game goals, including one as the horn sounded to end the game, but it was way-too-little way-too-late as the Bruins manhandled the Wilderness, 7-3.
After the win, the Bruins improve to 15-9-2-4 while the Wilderness fall to 15-14-1-0. Up next for Austin, they play a pair of games in Bismarck against the Bobcats on January 3 and 4. Austin is back at Riverside Arena on Friday, January 10 for a single-game against the St. Cloud Blizzard. Tickets for the game on Friday, January 10 go on sale Monday, January 6 at all the Bruins vendors including Hy-Vee, Holiday Inn, Jim’s Marketplace and Games People Play.
