Photo courtesy: Don Boesen, Boesen Photography
The Minnesota Magicians have only been in the league since 2013, but they hadn’t beat the Bruins until their 3-2 win at Richfield Ice Arena on November 5th. The Magicians claimed a 3-2 win, snapping the Bruins’ four game winning streak, which still remains their season high run. The final seven matchups between the two Minnesota rivals will all take place in the months of January, February, and March. The weekend home and home begins Friday in Austin before shifting to Richfield on Saturday night.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR –
Gabor point streak: Although the Bruins scored only one goal in each of last weekend’s losses, Gilbert Gabor contributed on both, with an assist Friday and the goal Saturday, extending his point streak to six games. Gabor has nine points (3 goals, 6 assists) over that span and also has points in 8 of his last 9 games overall. He had a seven game streak between October 3rd-30th and has gone pointless in only 9 of 34 games played this year. He leads the B’s in points with 36.
Magicians Additions: Since Austin saw the Magicians last, several impact players have been added to their roster. Forward John Peterson was added after putting up 15 points with Janesville and forward Jacob Gammicchia who scored against the Bruins in November, came from Minot. In two significant trades, defenseman Matt Sherman was acquired from Aberdeen and in one of the bigger NAHL blockbuster deals of the season, the Magicians traded three players for Coulee Region star forward Michael Wilson. Wilson, however, was injured in his first game with Minnesota on January 2nd and hasn’t played since.
Three’s Company: As a result of last weekend’s scores, we once again find ourselves with a three-way tie for first place in the Central Division. Austin, Bismarck, and Minot, who have been swapping spots amidst the top three for the last month, all sit at 43 points, entering the final third of the regular season. Bismarck has three games in hand (fewer games played) on Austin and four on Minot, but is in action Wednesday against Aberdeen to knock off one of those games.
Streaky season: The Magicians stumbled out of the gate, going 4-8-1 through their first 13 and prompting a coaching chance. After Scott Meyer took the reins from Tom Upton, the Magicians responded positively, going 9-4-3 in their next 16. However, since the calendar turned to 2016, they have only one win in eight tries, dropping them back to the basement of the Central division.
THE MATCHUP –
Central Division Standings:
|
TEAM |
GP |
W |
L |
OTL |
PTS |
|
Bismarck |
35 |
21 |
13 |
1 |
43 |
|
Austin |
38 |
21 |
16 |
1 |
43 |
|
Minot |
39 |
20 |
16 |
3 |
43 |
|
Brookings |
38 |
16 |
16 |
6 |
38 |
|
Aberdeen |
36 |
13 |
16 |
7 |
33 |
|
MN Magicians |
37 |
14 |
19 |
4 |
32 |
2015-16 HEAD TO HEAD vs. MAGICIANS (Magicians lead 1-0-0)
click date for game story
11/05/15 Austin 2 at MN Magicians 3
01/29/16 @ Austin – 7:05 PM
01/30/16 @ MN Magicians – 7:00 PM
02/12/16 @ Austin – 7:05 PM
02/26/16 @ Austin – 7:05 PM
03/02/16 @ Austin – 7:05 PM
02/27/16 @ MN Magicians – 7:00 PM
03/24/16 @ MN Magicians – 7:00 PM
2014-15 HEAD TO HEAD vs. MAGICIANS (Bruins went 8-0-0)
12/05/14 Austin 7 at MN Magicians 3
12/12/14 MN Magicians 1 at Austin 2
12/19/14 MN Magicians 1 at Austin 6
12/20/14 Austin 4 at MN Magicians 1
01/30/15 MN Magicians 3 at Austin 4 OT
01/31/15 Austin 8 at MN Magicians 1
02/06/15 Austin 6 at MN Magicians 0
02/07/15 MN Magicians 1 at Austin 3
HOW TO FOLLOW THE GAMES –
The puck drops from Riverside Arena on Friday night at 7:05 PM CT. Tickets can be pre-purchased at HyVee, Jim’s Marketplace, Games People Play, and the Holiday Inn for $4 off the door price – $11 for adults and $8 for students and seniors (65+). The game will be broadcast with live streaming video and audio on FASTHockey.com beginning at 6:55, with intermission updates on Facebook and Twitter (@theaustinbruins).
Saturday’s game is a 7:00 start time from Richfield Ice Arena and will be on FASTHockey, along with an audio only broadcast on AM 1480 KAUS in Austin and streaming online at myaustinminnesota.com. Broadcast time will be 6:50. Fans are encouraged to watch the game at the official home of Bruins away games: B&J Bar and Grill – located at 114 4th Ave NE in downtown Austin.
Tickets for “Paint the Rink Pink” Night (February 6th vs. Coulee Region Chill) continue to be available at Bruins vendor locations (listed above) and at all prior home games.
