THIS WEEKEND’S GAMES:
FRIDAY – North Iowa @ New Ulm, 7:10 p.m.
SATURDAY – New Ulm @ North Iowa, 7:30 p.m
NORTH IOWA BULLS, 11-1-0-0 (ROSTER, STATS)
vs. NEW ULM STEEL, 4-3-0-1 (ROSTER, STATS)
COVERAGE: HockeyTV (video/$), Mixlr (audio/free, Saturday only)
BULLS vs. NEW ULM ALL-TIME: 45-8-2
THIS WEEK’S PROMOTIONS: The Bulls are back in Mason City on Saturday to face the Steel on “Hat Tricks and Treats” Night. The team will share treats with the crowd after every goal, and a few hats if any Bulls player scores a hat trick in the game. Kids will be invited to take part in a costume contest, and a Jack o’ Lantern contest will also be held. For a schedule of upcoming promotions, click here.
FEAST OR FAMINE: North Iowa has never lost on the Steel’s home ice since their move to New Ulm in 2016, and they haven’t been shy about putting the puck in the net, either. The Bulls have never failed to put fewer than four goals on the board on the Olympic sheet of ice, and only two of the seven matchups on the New Ulm ice have seen the Steel score more than two goals. Both of those games went the distance, with North Iowa prevailing in a shootout.
GAINING THE UPPER HAND: The North Iowa goaltending battle has been about as even as it gets this season, with each netminder coming into the weekend with three wins on the year. Evan Babekuhl and Dysen Skinner have pulled ahead as goalies 1A and 1B in the race for playing time, though, with save percentages of better than .940. Joe Daninger heads to the weekend with two wins against Breezy Point and another over the third-place Willmar WarHawks.
HITTING A HUNDRED: Bulls co-captain Cam Fagerlee is poised to hit a milestone on Saturday evening as he plays in his 100th regular-season contest at the junior level. The former Totino-Grace prep standout recently passed current Dynamo Riga forward Rihards Marenis for sixth on North Iowa’s all-time scoring list. Only three other Bulls (Matt Kroska, Brendan Studioso, Shane Bernhardson) have played more than 100 regular-season games in a North Iowa uniform.
SPOTLIGHT ON THE STEEL: Second-year Steel forward Michael Savelkoul hasn’t taken a night off this year, in more ways than one. Savelkoul has tallied a point in each of New Ulm’s eight games this season, and has notched a point in 13 straight games overall. By comparison, Cam Fagerlee saw a seven- game point streak end in the Bulls’ win last Sunday. Savelkoul faces a fellow Albert Lea Tiger this weekend in Campbell Cichosz. Joining Savelkoul in the spotlight is team scoring co-leader Jacob Halvorson, who was named the West Division Star of the Week on Wednesday. Halvorson bagged three goals and two assists last weekend, despite seeing the Steel win just one of their three games.
MEDIA NOTES: