No. 7 New Mexico Ice Wolves (0-9-0-1, 1pt) vs. No. 3 Lone Star Brahmas (8-1, 16pts)
at Outpost Ice Arena in Albuquerque, NM
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Broadcast: HockeyTV
What You Need to Know:
Season Series: 0-2
Leading Scorers:
NMO: 4pts, Dominique (1g-3a)
LOS: 13pts, Guerra (1g-12a)
UNDEFEATED NO MORE:
This weekend the Brahmas are playing three-straight games on the road. Two against the Amarillo Bulls and one against the Ice Wolves. The Brahmas went into the Budweiser Bull Pen last night with the only unblemished record remaining in the NAHL. After 60 minutes they went back to the hotel with their first loss. The Bulls won 6-3 after scoring three goals in the third period. They also outshot the Brahmas 44-26. After Game 2 tonight, the Brahmas will make their way to New Mexico for a matinee game. The Ice Wolves are going into the afternoon game with two days off. If they can take advantage of the tired legs of the Brahmas, then they will be able to skate away with their first win in franchise history.
SCORING AFFAIR:
The Ice Wolves have not recorded a goal in over 125 minutes. The last goal recorded for the Ice Wolves came off the stick of assistant captain, Drew Lorinchak. That was during the third period of Game 2 on home opening weekend for the Ice Wolves. Last weekend when they faced-off against Lone Star it seemed as if everything was going the Brahmas way, as they notched 12 goals through two games. The Brahmas have the best goal differential in the league at 35GF/15GA (+20).
SUNDAY FUNDAY:
Tomorrow at the Outpost will be NM Youth Hockey Day. The USA Hockey Executive Director, Pat Kelleher, will be on hand for the ceremonial puck drop. There will be youth players having a scrimmage game during the first period intermission. Also, following the conclusion of the game the Ice Wolves will have their first post-game skate with the team. The Ice Wolves were able to get the sellout crowd behind them during home opening weekend, and they are looking for more of the same tomorrow afternoon.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Ice Wolves (F: #7 – Spencer Rudrud)
Rudrud is in his first NAHL season and is already making a name for himself. The Eden Prairie, MN native has played nine games this season (1g-1a). The rookie recorded the first goal on home ice during the first period of the home opener. He was able to pick the pocket of a Jackalope and turned around for a quick shot which found the back of the net. He has 14 shots this season and is 7th on the team in scoring. The great thing about Rudrud is that he utilizes his 6’1” 191lb. frame to create havoc in the offensive zone. The left-handed forward will be relied on heavily tomorrow to put pressure on the opposition.
Brahmas (F: #21 – Michal Stinil)
The 2nd leading scorer (10pts) for the Brahmas picked up four points during the two games versus the Ice Wolves last weekend (3g-1a). He scored half of his team’s goals during the first game and scored the first goal the following night. After totaling 23 points last season (14g-9a) in the span of 29 games for the Brahmas, the seasoned forward is well on pace to surpass that total. The American International College (AIC) commit is tied with Joe Baez for the most goals on the team (6). The Czech Republic native stands at 6’0” 185lbs. and will be a key component if the Brahmas want to keep a perfect record against the Ice Wolves.