Bulls Fall in Series Finale to Bruins

Mar 17, 2024

Mason City, IA- The North Iowa Bulls wrapped up their weekend series against the Austin Bruins with a 4-1 defeat in front of a rowdy Saturday night crowd at the Mason City Arena. 

The game’s first period mirrored Friday night’s opening stanza. In which, Austin controlled the shot counter and pace of the frame, but ultimately could not beat Bulls goalie Santo Simmchen before the buzzer sounded to end the first at a 0-0 score. 

Austin and North Iowa traded goals and penalties through the second period. Austin Salani broke the ice with his second goal of the weekend just 5:05 into the stanza. Seoul, South Korea native Sangyeob Kim answered with a power play tally midway through the frame, evening the score at one apiece and giving the Bulls a power play goal in three of the last four games. Bruins rookie John Hirschfeld capped a beautiful power play passing sequence to restore Austin’s lead and give the St. Cloud native his first goal in the North American Hockey League. 

The teams’ enmity towards each other boiled over at the end of the second period with a flurry of penalties that ultimately put Austin on a major power play to start the third. North Iowa killed off the power play, but could not mount a comeback. Giusepe Fiorillo added an even strength goal to extend the Bruins lead early in the third after the major power play subsided and Ocean Wallace deposited the puck into the Bulls’ empty net from his own end of the ice to end the scoring at 4-1. 

Bulls goalie Santo Simmchen recorded 42 saves on 45 shots faced, ultimately recording a .955 save percentage in two games on the weekend. 

Bruin goaltender Vilgot Holm stopped 12 saves on 13 shots faced. 

North Iowa hits the road for two games against the Aberdeen Wings at the Odde Ice Center next weekend.