2018-19 Weekend Preview: Game 5 at Rochester

Sep 27, 2018

TONIGHT’S GAME:

FRIDAY – North Iowa @ Rochester, 7:05 p.m.

NORTH IOWA BULLS, 3-1-0-0 (ROSTER, STATS)
@ ROCHESTER GRIZZLIES, 2-1-0-0 (ROSTER, STATS)

 

COVERAGE: HockeyTV (video/$)

BULLS VS. ROCHESTER ALL-TIME: 0-0-0

NEXT HOME GAME: The Bulls will play five games on the road to begin the 2018-19 season before hosting the New Ulm Steel Sep. 29 in the earliest home opener in franchise history. A pregame tailgate party is scheduled, along with live music and a number of special additions inside the arena. For a schedule ofupcoming promotions, click the “Game Day Fun” link at NorthIowaBulls.com.

WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN: The Bulls and Grizzlies meet up for the first time tonight, but it’s certainly not the first time North Iowa has made the trip north to the Rochester RecCenter in search of a win. The Rochester Ice Hawks faced the Bulls on 22 different occasions from 2015 through last New Year’s Eve, but the Ice Hawks were never able to snag a win in the series. During the offseason, the Ice Hawks’ NA3HL membership was purchased by the NAHL’s Austin Bruins, who currently operate the Grizzlies alongside the Bruins, followed by a rebranding and a restocking of the team’s staff and roster.

SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT HIM: Peter Verstegen has had quite the start to the 2018-19 season, with four goals and a couple of assists in the first two weeks. Two of those goals – one against Peoria and one against New Ulm – have come on the power play, and another one came in a 4-on-4 situation in that 6-1 win over the Mustangs.

FRONTIER BEAST HEADING EAST: The newest addition to the Bulls brings a wealth of junior experience to the roster after beginning the season with the Janesville Jets – fourth-year NA3HL veteran Ian Doner will don a North Iowa uniform this weekend after more than 100 games in a Yellowstone Quake uniform. Doner was a majorcontributor to Yellowstone’s success each of the last two seasons, with 71 points during the regular season in 2017-18. The Quake played for a Cup each of the last three seasons.

GIVE ME A SECOND: North Iowa’s first-period play hasn’t set them apart from their competition thus far this season, but it’s hard to find a team that has had a more solid second period than Todd Sanden’s group. Of the eight goals scored in the second period of the Bulls’ games so far, seven of them have been scored by North Iowa players.

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