If there was any question about whether or not the Austin Bruins would be back for a second season, it was answered with a resounding ‘yes.’

Austin Bruins owner Craig Patrick signed a two-year contract to rent Riverside Arena last year, and Thursday he said the Junior A Tier II hockey team — which finished its first season Sunday — will be back next season, with hopes to extend the contract beyond that.

“We’ll be back next year. Definitely,” he said. “And we’re looking to do some sort of extension. People keep asking if we’ll be back, and I say, ‘Yeah, we’ll be back.’ It should be a really great year.

“I want the team to be here a very long time and we just have to figure out terms that work out for everybody.”

One of the biggest success stories of the Bruins’ first season was fan support.

“The fans really embraced the team and the players and the idea of what the Bruins are,” Patrick said. “Initially, people were trying to figure out what it was all about, and then the more people who knew about it, the more people you got. To me, it’s really important that people are able to bring their 10-year-old and be in a safe place and have a lot of fun.”

Part of the reason the community embraced the Bruins was that they embraced Austin.

“They have been a great addition,” said Sandy Forstner, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce. “They reached out right away and partnered with a lot of organizations. As far as I can tell, talking to their people, they had a very good year and they have something to build on for next year.”

The Bruins sponsored a “Paint the Rink Pink” night where they raised over $22,000 for breast cancer research. The team also volunteered in the community, with an autograph signing at Oak Park Mall and a reading event with area youth at the YMCA.

“That’s one reason our ambassadors recognized them (as New Business of the Year) at the annual meeting,” Forstner said. “Paint the Rink Pink was just a great event for the whole town and a celebration of the community in the process. I think that’s important that they really did connect with a lot of organizations in town really quickly. Hats off to them.”

Shan Kehret, marketing manager at Oak Park Mall, said the Bruins were a huge asset to the community.

“They gave us something for the community to do together as a family,” she said. “The autograph signing at the mall, that was fabulous … We’re anxious to have them back in town (next season).”

Pete Plunkett, an attorney with Plunkett and Associates, Inc. in Austin, said he attended almost every home game.

“I loved it,” he said. “My little 4-year-old is in Austin youth hockey, and just learning how to play was a great experience for him.”

He said his son can’t wait for next season.

“It’s something Austin needs in the winter time,” he said.