Blaine, MN- The North Iowa Bulls begin their 2023-24 Season against the Fairbanks Ice Dogs at the Super Rink in Blaine, Minnesota, tonight.
North Iowa recorded a 29-27-4 record last season and enters their third season in the North American Hockey League with a new Head Coach in Nick Brunteau, who carries a familiarity with many current Bulls players from last season spent as the Head Coach of the NA3HL’s Mason City Toros.
The Bulls went 3-1 in both the 2021 and 2022 showcases. Last season, they recorded three shutouts, beating the Wisconsin Windigo 5-0, the Shreveport Mudbugs 1-0, and the Odessa Jackalopes 4-0 before falling to the Janesville Jets 3-1.
Bulls’ Assistant Captain Joe Sweeney recorded a goal and two assists for three points in last season’s showcase.
The Ice Dogs have already played two games to open their season, dropping two games in Janesville, Wisconsin, against the Janesville Jets by 5-4 and 5-2 final scores. Hayden Zimmerman recorded two goals in the opening game while Cole Burke recorded a goal and three assists across the two-game series in southern Wisconsin.
The Bulls enter the season with one current NCAA Division I Commit on the roster, Assistant Captain Landon MacDonald, who is committed to the Northern Michigan University Wildcats.
North Iowa will also face the Colorado Grit, Philadelphia Rebels, and Anchorage Wolverines in the four-day showcase event in Blaine.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:15PM
The game will be broadcast on NAHLTV. The game will also be available for listening on the North Iowa Bulls’ Mixlr Page. Chris Lynch makes is Bulls’ Play-By-Play Broadcasting debut.