MASON CITY, Iowa – Last weekend’s two-game matchup between the Bulls and the Alexandria Blizzard featured two of the league’s hottest teams, with one team coming into the weekend with 13 straight wins and the other with 10 straight. Tyler Bump proved yet again that he’s up to the task against the best of the best that the NA3HL has to offer, posting five goals and earning the league’s Bauer NA3HL Central Division Star of the Week award for the second time this season.
North Iowa nearly won both games, if not for a late Alexandria comeback on Friday that ended in a 4-3 shootout win for the Blizzard. Bump scored two goals in that game, helping the Bulls get to overtime and keep their point streak alive.
The Prior Lake, Minnesota native was the star of the show on Saturday in an 8-1 rout, netting a hat trick to go with a couple of assists. His final goal of the night came just 35 seconds after the first intermission, and made the lead at that point 6-0.
“Tyler is a gifted player who competes every night,” said head coach Todd Sanden. “With his line starting, he scored on the first shot of the game on Saturday, giving us positive momentum to start the game. He is a leader not only in production but also in character and effort.”
Bump was also the division’s Star of the Week in early December, following a two-game sweep on home ice against the Wausau RiverWolves, and in late September after a road sweep of the La Crosse Freeze. It’s the eighth time this season that a North Iowa Bulls player has earned the Central Division’s Star of the Week award.
The Bulls’ point streak is now up to 33 straight games, as North Iowa heads into a home-and-home weekend against the La Crosse Freeze at 27-0-2-2 on the season. The opening faceoff Friday night is scheduled for 7 p.m. in La Crosse, with live streaming coverage on HockeyTV.
North Iowa’s home game against La Crosse on Saturday begins at 7:30 p.m., with “Superhero Night,” featuring appearances by Superman and Captain America, and superhero masks for the first 100 kids in the door. Live streaming coverage will be available on HockeyTV, with free audio streaming on Mixlr. For advance tickets to Saturday’s game, or any future North Iowa Bulls home contest, click here.