The Bottineau-Rugby Braves boys’ ice hockey team earned their first win of the season against the MayPort Area Ice Dawgs 4-2 last Saturday, Nov. 29, in their season home-opener.

The Braves had a tough start to the new season when they faced off against the Devils Lake Firebirds on the road for the first game of the season. The Braves dropped their season opener 2-3, starting them off with an 0-1 record. The Braves sought redemption in the home-opener the very next week as they took on the Ice Dawgs from MayPort Area.

The game started slow in the first period with neither team scoring a single goal. The second period started off much faster than the first, led by Bottineau-Rugby junior forward Grady Glasner. Glasner kickstarted the Braves’ momentum when he struck just over a minute and a half into the second period. He was assisted by junior forwards Gavin Bartsch and Peyton Getzlaff. Peyton Getzlaff wasn’t done yet, as he scored a goal of his own less than a minute later on a power play. He was assisted in his goal by another one of the Braves’ junior forwards, Casey Freeman. The game seemed to slow down again, but just before five minutes could elapse in the second period, another junior forward, Oliver Sveet, scored the Braves’ third unanswered goal in a row. He was assisted by junior defender Jacob Kuntz.

The Braves appeared to be in full control of the game, but their perfect run for the night did not last long. The Ice Dawgs were able to strike back, scoring two straight goals before the second period ended, giving the Braves a narrow 3-2 lead heading into the third period. Both teams’ defense held each other back through the first few minutes of the third quarter, but junior Gavin Bartsch was able to secure the Braves’ fourth goal of the game, assisted by junior defender Clifdyn Brossart, giving them a 4-2 lead and a comfortable safety net for the rest of the game. The safety net ended up being unnecessary, as the Braves’ defence were able to keep the Ice Dawgs at bay until the end of the game, giving Bottineau-Rugby their first win of the season.

The Braves were one for four on the power play, while the Ice Dawgs were unable to capitalize on their own power plays at zero for four. Both teams had 23 shots on goal.

The Braves improved on the season to a new record of 1-1 and the Ice Dawgs fell to a 2-2 record on the season.