Bruins Win Second in a Row
By Gerry Foster
The Grand Forks Border Bruins returned home and shutout the Columbia Valley Rockies 4-0 in KIJHL action on Friday to pick up their second win in as many games; they had defeated 100 Mile House last Saturday on the road.
Jacob Mullen from Coeur D’Alene, Idaho turned aside 34 shots to pick up his first shutout of the season. This is the second time Bruins goalies have blanked the opposition this year. In September Kiernan Matsuba was the goaltender of record in a 3-0 win over Spokane. This becomes the first time in at least 10 seasons that a Grand Forks team has recorded a shutout from two different goalies in the same year. In fact, only once in that time span did the team record two shutouts in an entire year and that was the 2007-08 campaign, accomplished by Evan Kurylo.
The locals scored three times in the opening period and added a late marker in the third. Max Newton produced 2 goals and an assist and sits atop the scoring race in the KIJHL with 17 goals and 17 assists. Lincoln Lane with his fifth of the year and Matt Lucero, his ninth, notched the other goals. Lane added an assist and is third in the league in that department with 19.
The Bruins third goal was scored with .3 seconds on the clock, cutting it fine to say the least. It was an important one as it gave them a three goal cushion heading to the first intermission. Defenceman Nico Sidoni from Trail made his debut in a Bruins uniform and made a positive impact on the blue line, as did Lukas Peters, who was back after missing 8 games through injury.
Next up for the Border Bruins is an away game in Fruitvale on Monday versus the Keystone Cup Champion Beaver Valley Nitehawks. The Bears are back home on Sunday, November 16; a 4:00 pm start against the Kamloops Storm.
