Murphy starts strong as Bruins win on ‘Paint the Rink Pink’ night
Published 10:44 pm Friday, February 10, 2017
- Austin’s Justin Misiak plays the puck in the corner during the second period Friday night against Coulee Region in Riverside Arena. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
The Austin Bruins used a new addition to their lineup to pick up a much needed win in front of a big crowd on ‘Paint the Rink Pink’ night in Riverside Arena Saturday.
Jack Murphy, who the Bruins acquired from Minot this week, scored a pair of goals and Austin beat the Coulee Region Chill (17-21-2 overall) 6-2.
Austin goalie Jake Kucharski makes a stop in the first period against Coulee Region Friday night in Riverside Arena. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
“I didn’t know that he’d pay off quite that kick. But we knew that he would help,” Austin head coach Kyle Grabowski said of Murphy. “We needed more depth at forward and he brings some winning experience. He’s 20-years old and he’s played a lot of junior hockey.”
Murphy put the Bruins on the board when he scored in the first period to make it 1-0 and he made it 4-0 early in the third period when he scored his 11th goal of the season. Murphy was excited to play his first game as a Bruin on such a big night for the team.
“I got lucky coming in at a good time and getting to play in front of all of these fans on a great night for a great cause,” Murphy said. “I’m very excited to see what we can do for a playoff push.”
Austin’s AJ Drobot winds up a wrister during the second period Friday night against Coulee Region in Riverside Arena. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Justin Misiak added a hat trick for Austin (19-19-2-3 overall) and he now has 19 goals on the season. The win was a big one for the Bruins as they sit one point behind Brookings for the final playoff spot in the Central Division with 17 games remaining in the season. Austin is two points behind third place Aberdeen.
“We need to keep scoring and getting these wins,” Misiak said. “It’s like a do or die situation right now and we know that. Everything’s close and we need to keep putting it all out there.”
Grabowski was pleased with how his team responded after being swept by Aberdeen at home in the previous weekend.
“I told the guys this morning that this game is obviously a unique opportunity,” Grabowski said. “Not only was it important for us to get a win tonight as far as the standings go, but with a lot of people here it’s a good chance for us to make them proud and show hard we can play.”
Jake Kucharski had 34 saves to get the win for Austin.
Austin’s Jan Stefka angles toward the net during the second period Friday night against Coulee Region at Riverside Arena. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
SCORING SUMMARY
Chill 0 0 2 — 2
Bruins 2 1 3 — 6
First period
(A) (Jack Murphy) (Travis Kothenbeutel, AJ Drobot) 9:27
(A) Justin Misiak (Cole Lawrence) 16:37
Second period
(A) Misiak (Kothenbeutel, Toby Sengvongxay) (power play) 11:11
Third period
(A) Murphy (AJ Drobot) :20
(A) Misiak (Jon Richards) 1:54
(CR) Isaac Theisen (Cale List) (short handed) 7:35
(CR) Theisen (Caleb Schroer, Jackson Decker) (short handed) 9:56
(A) Logan Haskins (Jason Koehn, Michael Piehler) (power play) 12:26
Shots: Bruins — 29; Chill — 36
Power plays: Bruins — 2-for-3; Chill — 0-for-2
