November 26, 2021 – 7:05 p.m. (Riverside Arena – Austin, MN)
November 27, 2021 – 7:30 p.m. (Mason City Arena – Mason City, IA)
AUSTIN BRUINS (11-7-1-2)
vs. NORTH IOWA BULLS (13-4-0-2)
ROSTER: NORTH IOWA | AUSTIN
STATISTICS: NORTH IOWA | AUSTIN
ATTENDING THE GAME: MAP TO MASON CITY ARENA | MAP TO RIVERSIDE ARENA | SATURDAY TICKETS | SEATING CHART
COVERAGE: HockeyTV (video/$), Mixlr (audio/free)
BULLS vs. AUSTIN ALL-TIME: 3-0-1
NORTH IOWA MEDIA NOTES: FRIDAY | SATURDAY
NAHL STAT PACKS: FRIDAY | SATURDAY
IN A NUTSHELL:
North Iowa looks to keep a hot streak going as two archrivals square off once again.
ALL-TIME SERIES:
North Iowa leads, 3-0-1 (all four games decided by two or fewer goals).
THIS WEEK’S PROMOTIONS:
North Iowa returns home on Saturday, November 27 for the Bulls’ Black Friday Weekend Battle against the Austin Bruins. Special-edition black t-shirts will be available for purchase, and all fans are encouraged to wear black to the game.
A NEW DAY HAS COME:
Two North Iowa forwards earned their first goals with the Bulls last Saturday, bookending the scoring for North Iowa – Jake LaRusso’s tying goal in the second period was his first for his new team after posting 27 markers in 124 games with the New Jersey Titans. Brett Morich scored two goals for the Jamestown Rebels in 2019-20 and assisted on the Rebels’ last goal of a 4-1 win over the Bulls at the NAHL Showcase, but his first goal as a Bull put an exclamation mark on the Bulls’ win over the Norsemen.
A RISING STAR FROM THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN:
Last Saturday’s game marked a return to the North Iowa Bulls lineup for Sota Isogai, though at a different level than previously – Isogai made his first NAHL appearance in that game, also making his 100th junior appearance in a call-up from the Mason City Toros. With that, the Nagano native became just the 11th player from Japan to ever play in an NAHL game – five of the previous NAHL players to come from Japan, including the first to do it (2010-11 Motor City Metal Jacket Mitsuyoshi Konno), advanced to the professional ranks in their home country. Former Bull Kohei Sato is currently a graduate transfer at NCAA Division I Bentley University, while Chikara Hanzawa is currently committed to play Division I hockey at Sacred Heart.
JUST FOUR THE RECORD:
Sean Vlasich’s four assists last Saturday put him in rare North Iowa Bulls air – he became the first North Iowa Bull in the NAHL era with four helpers in a game, and the first North Iowa Bull with four assists since Jack Kubitz opened the Mason City Arena with four assists in a 16-0 win over Breezy Point on January 3, 2020.