AUSTIN, Minn. – After a scoreless first two periods, Fairbanks registered two tallies in the final frame to topple Austin, 2-1, on Saturday night.
Unlike Friday night’s game between the two teams in which Austin scored less than four minutes into the game, Saturday night’s contest took a much different tone. Out of the gates, the teams were very evenly matched with neither team registering a goal in the opening twenty minutes. Each team got their opportunities in the first, but headed to the locker room in a scoreless tie.
In the second period, both teams committed their first penalty of the game but neither power-play was successful. Both netminders, including Zach Hansen for Austin and Kayden Hargraves for Fairbanks, stood tall and for the second consecutive periods, the horn sounded with the score locked at 0-0.
In the third period, the scoring opened up but unfortunately for Austin, the first two entries on the score sheet went to Fairbanks. Three-minutes and 42 seconds into the final period Bret Link slipped a shot through the legs of Hansen for the 1-0 Ice Dogs lead. Thirteen minutes later, Fairbanks took a 2-0 lead when a pass from behind the goal-line bounced the sliding Bruins defensemen Cullen Rush and slipped past Hansen. The Bruins managed to cut the lead in half in the game’s final two minutes when Travis Shoudy, on as the extra-man with the net empty, rifled a shot from the point that was deflected by Connor Mylymok out front and with 1:34 remaining in the game, the Bruins we only down 2-1. Despite the last-ditch effort, the black-and-gold couldn’t even the score and fell in their third-straight game to Fairbanks.
Zach Hansen earned the loss in the game despite stopping 25 of 27 Ice Dogs shots in his first game since November 21, 2020. Kayden Hargraves turned away 24 of 25 Bruins’ chances to get the victory, his fourth of the season against the Bruins. Neither team was successful on the power-play, both going 0-for-2.
Up next for the Bruins, they welcome the Minnesota Wilderness to Riverside Arena on Wednesday, February 10, 2021. Fans looking to get tickets for the mid-week battle can do so by visiting www.austinbruins.com/single-game-tickets. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 P.M.
