For the first time in the post season the Lone Star Brahmas faced an elimination game after dropping game one of the best of three NAHL Robertson Cup Semi-Finals to the Austin Bruins. The Brahmas could take solace in the fact that they had lost only six games on NYTEX Sports Centre ice during the regular season and playoffs combined posting a 29 – 5 – 1 home record and never losing two in a row at home. However, this was the playoffs and Austin came in on Friday night with an up tempo, physical game that Lone Star would have to slow down if they wanted to force a game three.
Like game one, the first 20 minutes was a back and forth hard hitting game with guys on both squads selling out to block shots and win puck battles. However, unlike Friday night the first period ended deadlocked at zero.
At 10:38 of the second Roman Uchyn powered his way through a defender and out of the near corner with a man draped on his back. He drove to the high slot and sent a rocket past Jake Kielly glove side for the one goal lead. Quinn Carroll and Liam Stirtzinger were credited with the assists.
The Bruins pulled even at 4:20 of the third when Hugo Gallet dug one out of a pile along the near halfwall and gave it to Ian Schied at center. His blast was kicked aside by the right pad of Jake Kupsky, but it went right onto the tape of Luke Dietsch who put it into the twine before Kupsky could recover.
With 12:13 to go Cody Wickline hit Sebastian Vidmar with a breakout pass down the middle. Vidmar was barreling in on Kielly when he was drug down from behind by Liam Feeney putting the Brahmas’ Captain at the center dot for a penalty shot. Vidmar pulled it wide left cut across the goal mouth then slammed on the brakes and put it past Kielly who had left the far post. Austin complained that Vidmar had stopped his progress, but the puck never stopped moving forward and the goal stood. Uchyn scored his second of the game and sixth of the playoff after Chad Guderian made a huge open ice hit on JC Maclean to take the big forward off his feet and dislodge the puck at the blueline. Uchyn grabbed it and fed it into the empty net.
Shots on goal were 20 apiece. Once again the Brahmas PK came up big holding the Bruins off the board on the only power play of the night. The win sets up a winner take all game three for the right to host the Minnesota Wilderness for the Robertson Cup Championship.