MASON CITY, Iowa – North Iowa is on a nice winning streak heading into the final weekend of September, with three straight victories going into its first-ever matchup with the Rochester Grizzlies. Brendan Studioso had a major hand in the two most recent victories for the Bulls, and was named Wednesday as the NA3HL’s Bauer Hockey West Division Star of the Week.
Studioso has gotten off to a red-hot start in his third season with the Bulls, including two goals this past Friday night at Breezy Point. The first of those two tallies turned out to be the game-winner, in a 7-2 triumph.
Saturday night in a 5-1 win over New Ulm, the Mukilteo, Washington native continued his outstanding weekend with a pair of assists against the Steel. Studioso heads into week number three of the Bulls’ season with seven points, including those two goals at Breezy Point.
The third-year North Iowa forward has already built a distinguished junior career for himself, landing a North American Hockey League tender with the Minnesota Wilderness last November. Studioso is just six games away from his 100th appearance for the Bulls (regular-season and postseason), and with just four more points, he’ll reach the 100-point mark in a North Iowa uniform. He’s also made eight appearances in the NAHL for the Wilderness and the Fairbanks Ice Dogs.
The Bulls are on a five-game road swing to start the season, with the last of those games scheduled for Friday night at the Rochester Grizzlies. Saturday’s home opener against the New Ulm Steel is the earliest home game ever for North Iowa.
The opening puck drop on Friday at the Rochester Recreation Center is scheduled for 7:05 p.m., with a 7:30 p.m. puck drop Saturday against the Steel. Live streaming coverage of all North Iowa Bulls games, home and away, is available on HockeyTV. Free audio streaming is available for select games, including Saturday’s home game, on Mixlr. For advance tickets to Saturday’s game, or any future Bulls home game, click here.