Bulls Welcome Wisconsin to NAHL with 5-0 Shutout Win
September 15, 2022 – North American Hockey League (NAHL) – North Iowa Bulls News Release
North Iowa Bulls versus Wisconsin Windigo
(North Iowa Bulls)
BLAINE, Minn. – This time last year, the North Iowa Bulls were the new team in the North American Hockey League, and made a resounding impression with a 5-1 win over the Minnesota Wilderness in their league debut.
This time around, the Wisconsin Windigo were the new team on the block, and the Bulls were the team on the other side looking to spoil the party.
North Iowa opened the 2022-23 season with a 5-0 victory, only the second time in team history that the Bulls shut out an opponent in the opening game of their season. It took both teams a little time to get their legs underneath them, with North Iowa controlling the tempo but the teams trading shutouts during the opening 20 minutes.
The Bulls finally broke through early in the second period, off of a shot from Joe Sweeney along the right wing that sneaked through Max Beckford and settled right in front of the goal. Cayden Casey delivered the decisive poke, giving them a 1-0 lead just 1:07 out of the intermission.
Justin Mexico added on less than four minutes later, rifling a shot off of the crossbar and in from the top of the left-wing faceoff circle to give North Iowa a 2-0 advantage. The game’s first penalty to Drew Fisher gave the Bulls an opening on the power play, and North Iowa capitalized with Hunter Bulger’s tap-in on the doorstep at 8:27 off of a pass from Luke Baker.
The Bulls had the momentum going to the third period, and Sweeney made another appearance at the 6:12 mark, picking up a rebound off of a shot from Casey and blasting it into the net from the right-wing faceoff dot for a 4-0 lead. Byron Hartley put North Iowa in position to score again at the 8:01 mark, rearing back to fire from the high slot before threading a pass to Max Scott for a one-timer at the bottom of the right-wing circle.
Five different North Iowa players finished with multi-point outings, including Sweeney and Casey, who scored their first NAHL goals in the contest. They, along with Scott and Mexico, each tallied a goal and an assist in the game, while Baker posted two assists.
Erik Chaffe made a statement in his first NAHL outing, pitching a 19-save shutout in his first appearance off of a successful Mason City Toros season that saw him post 15 wins and lead the team to within a win of the Fraser Cup tournament. Beckford took the loss in his NAHL opener, making 24 saves on 29 North Iowa shots. Special teams were exceptional for the Bulls in limited opportunities, going 1-for-2 on the power play and wiping away both of Wisconsin’s opportunities.
The Bulls return for a matinee on the second day of the NAHL Showcase on Thursday, squaring off with the perennial South Division contender Shreveport Mudbugs. The opening puck drop is slated for 2:15 p.m.
Wisconsin 0 0 0 – 0 North Iowa 0 3 2 – 5
1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-No Penalties
2nd Period-1, North Iowa, Casey 1 (Sweeney, Mexico), 1:07. 2, North Iowa, Mexico 1 (Scott, Heckman), 5:03. 3, North Iowa, Bulger 1 (Baker, Dombrowsky), 8:27 (PP). Penalties-Fisher Wis (slashing-minor), 7:03; Scott Nio (holding-minor), 13:48; Berglund Wis (too many men-minor), 15:37; Johnson Nio (cross checking-minor), 19:09.
3rd Period-4, North Iowa, Sweeney 1 (Casey, Dombrowsky), 6:12. 5, North Iowa, Scott 1 (Hartley, Baker), 8:01. Penalties-No Penalties
Shots on Goal-Wisconsin 6-9-4-19. North Iowa 11-5-13-29. Power Play Opportunities-Wisconsin 0 / 2; North Iowa 1 / 2. Goalies-Wisconsin, Beckford 0-1-0-0 (29 shots-24 saves). North Iowa, Chaffe 1-0-0-0 (19 shots-19 saves). A- Referees-Alex Borowiec. Linesmen-Gavin Jocelyn, Jacob Rozenberg.
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