North Iowa Bulls (3-0-1-0) at Granite City Lumberjacks (3-0-0-0)
Date & Time: Friday, Oct. 9 – 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, Oct. 10 – 7:30 p.m.
Venue: Miller Buick GMC Rink, Sauk Rapids, Minnesota
The North Iowa Bulls make their first road trip of the 2026-27 season this weekend with a two-game series against the defending Fraser Cup Champion Granite City Lumberjacks. Both games are scheduled for 7:30 PM at Miller Buick GMC Rink.
Bulls Notes:
- The North Iowa Bulls opened the season with a four game homestand and earned points in all four games, sweeping the Minnesota Wilderness last weekend and getting three of four points against the Alexandria Blizzard the weekend prior.
- Bulls Captain & defenseman Grant Harder is off to a blistering scoring start. He’s posted 2 goals and 8 assists for 10 points in the first four games of the season. Last weekend, he recorded two power play goals in the Wilderness series and has earned this season’s first two West Division Star of the Week honors.
- Rookie forward Alex Heinkel authored his first multi-point game of his junior hockey career with a pair of assists in Saturday’s shutout win against the Minnesota Wilderness. He also scored his first NA3HL goal the night prior, marking a three-point weekend.
- Christian Plaga authored the 20th multi-point game of his 44 game NA3HL career on Saturday. He led the Bulls in overall scoring with a 4-point (1 goal, 3 assists) weekend.
- Cole Murphy pitched a 33 save shutout on Saturday in the Bulls’ 4-0 victory over the Minnesota Wilderness. It was his third career NA3HL shutout. He notched his first two shutouts last season with the Great Falls Americans.
Scouting Granite City:
- The Lumberjacks began their season with a trio of wins against the Minnesota Vulcans (5-2), Alexandria Blizzard (3-2, OT), and Willmar Warhawks (5-2).
- Granite City returns 13 players from their 2025-26 roster.
- Jackson Engberg leads the returning scorers. After a 32-point season last year, he paces the Lumberjacks with 4 points in the team’s first 3 games of the season.
- Alex Zelazowski posted his first career NA3HL hat trick in Granite City’s victory over Willmar on Saturday, October 3rd.
- Returning netminder Zach Price has played two of the Lumberjacks’ games and recorded wins of 29 and 26 saves against the Vulcans and Blizzard respectively.
Both games will be carried on NAHLTV.