Austin Bruins’ defenseman Alex Pettersson remembers it all too well. After dropping a 5-4 overtime heartbreaker at Fairbanks, Alaska, the Bruins dropped game two of the Robertson Cup Finals to the Fairbanks Ice Dogs 6-2 and their was run over.

Pettersson never wants to experience that feeling again. Luckily for Pettersson and the handful of Bruins who are back from last year’s team, Austin has a chance to redeem itself when it hosts the Minnesota Wilderness in the Robertson Cup Finals this weekend.

“It was very, very sad to see them raise the cup right in front of our eyes,” said Pettersson, who is from Gothenburg, Sweden, on last season’s ending. “All of us who were there last year said we’ve got to win it next year. We started to use it as fuel and I’ve been seeing Fairbanks hoist the cup every day. We all want to win it real bad.”

Although the Bruins have a roster full of young players, it will be the efforts of veterans like Pettersson, who has 70 career points in 107 career NAHL games, and Trevor Boyd, who has 97 career points in 168 career NAHL games, that will be crucial in their chase for the Robertson Cup.

Boyd has had a breakout season this year with the Bruins in his last NAHL season and he’s hoping to cap it off with a strong finish.

“It’s a great opportunity. We want to go out on top and win a championship and show the town and show the league that we’re the best,” Boyd said. “It’s a great advantage with our fans, being in our own beds and in our own rink. Being on the road is kind of tough, so it’s great to be home.”

Pettersson scored the game-winning goal in overtime to beat Lone Star in game three Sunday, but he’s moved on from that moment and he’s focused on finishing the job this weekend. Pettersson said it’s not hard to find motivation when he’s surrounded by guys he wants to win with.

“I want to do it for every single guy here. All of these guys are my brothers and family,” Pettersson said. “To be able to do it for coach [Chris] Tok and [assistant] coach [Jamie] Huffman would be huge. They’ve had a huge impact on my life and my hockey career so far.”

Nico Sturm has stepped up for the Bruins this season and he said that the veterans on the squad have made it easier for everyone on the team.

“They’ve been the heart and the soul of this team since the first day we came in the locker room,” Sturm said. “We wanted to win the title this year and those guys have been there and they know what’s going on. They know what we’ve got to do to win and they’re great teachers.”

While the Bruins are a little exhausted from playing three games in three days with flights to and from Texas mixed in, they’ll be able to find their energy when the series begins 7:05 p.m. Friday in Riverside Arena. For Boyd and Pettersson, it’s their last chance at an NAHL title and they want to make it count.

“Everyone’s kind of a little banged up and it’s been a long season,” Boyd said. “But it’s the finals and everyone’s got motivation. Everyone’s going to be giving it their all.”