Wooster, Ohio - The Troy Bruins inaugural season came to a heartbreaking end on Saturday afternoon with a upsetting 7-6 sudden death overtime loss to Team Ulysse inside the Alice Noble Arena in Wooster. With the loss, the Bruins inaugural season record is set as 34-15-1 as they return home the 2010 NJHL Knox Cup Runner Up after their 6-2 loss to Knox Cup Champion Wooster Oilers on Friday night.

Saturday afternoon's game would feature a Bruins team firing on all cylinders in the first two periods, propelled by a hat trick in the first half. Despite their early charge, the Bruins fell on their heals in the final period of regulation, allowing Ulysse to surge for four unanswered goals and forcing a sudden death overtime period.

Overtime would start on a sour note for the Bruins, as captain Willie Boyle suffered a controversial hit into the corner, severely injuring him and leaving the Bruins without one of their most veteran leaders. It wouldn't take long for Ulysse to pounce on a visibly shaken Bruins club, scoring the game-winning goal less than three minutes into the extra frame to end the game.

With the loss, the Bruins inaugural season comes to a bittersweet close. Troy becomes NJHL Knox Cup Runner Up, and now prepares for a busy off season preparing for the 60th anniversary of Troy Bruins Hockey and Hobart Arena for the 2010-2011 season of Bruins hockey. Fans are encouraged to visit www.TroyBruins.com frequently in the coming weeks as the team releases information on next season, including season tickets, sponsorships and more.

Wooster, Ohio - The first place Wooster Oilers would take an early lead and would never let it go on their way to a less than spectacular 6-2 win over the Bruins in game one of the 2010 NJHL Finals from the sold out Alice Noble Arena in Wooster, Ohio Friday night.

With the standing room only crowd in Wooster cheering on the home team from the start, the Oilers would take the quick lead less than five minutes into the opening period off a deflection past Bruins starting netminder Allan Dowler at the 15:49. Troy would struggle to find their stride as the period continued, with Wooster capitalizing on a centering pass from the far point to blast a slapshot past a stunned Dowler for the 2-0 lead with just over seven minutes showing on the clock. As the time continued to wind down in the opening frame, the Bruins, aided by the generous and boisterous contingent of Bruins fans which made the three hour trek, got on the board with 3:33 to go with a K's Hamburger Shop Powerplay goal by Leonid Kovalev assisted by Egor Pogodin-Alexseev to cut the Oilers lead down to one. Yet, the momentum would remain in Wooster's possession for a scramble goal in front of Dowler while the Bruins were signaled for a delay penalty coming into the zone. The goal, with just 1:41 remaining in the period, would take the hometown Oilers into the intermission ahead of the Bruins 3-1.

In much the same fashion, the Oilers would start the second period with an early goal, this time at the 15:41 mark, off a centering pass through the slot to jump out with a 4-1 lead. Troy would improve in the second period, challenging the Oilers offensively with several quality chances, but would only be able to muster one goal in the middle stanza. Justin Dornhecker would cash in his first goal of the weekend off a tape to tape pass from Pogodin-Alexseev to blast a snapshot past Oilers netminder Alexander Galaysha at 9:33 to lead the Bruins into the second intermission trailing the Oilers 4-2.

The Oilers would take hold of the third period and not look back, scoring twice while holding off the Bruins offense through the final buzzer for the lackluster 6-2 win to take game one of the 2010 NJHL Finals.

Despite the loss, the Bruins continue the weekend with an afternoon matinee against Team Ulysse from Montreal, Canada to challenge for the International Cup championship in addition  to the Knox Cup for the NJHL title. Faceoff against Ulysse from the Alice Noble Arena in Wooster is set for 1pm with the game televised live on postTV at www.TroyBruins.com with the voice of the Bruins JT Szabo handling the call.  

The Troy Bruins prepare to put an exclamation point on their 2009-2010 Inaugural season with a trip to the 2010 NJHL Finals hosted by the first place Wooster Oilers this weekend.

Finishing in second place in the regular season, the Bruins (34-13-1) eliminated third place Jamestown Jets last weekend inside the Savings Bank Arena in Jamestown, New York with a weekend sweep that saw the Bruins looking like a true championship contender complete with 15 goals throughout best of three series that thanks to a 6-1 Bruins win on Friday night and impressive 9-4 win on Saturday lasted only two games.

With only one weekend remaining in the enormously successful inaugural campaign, the Bruins set their sights on the goal they've had since September...the coveted Knox Cup Championship.

Yet, standing in the Bruins way is in-state rival Wooster Oilers (38-5-3), who after an outstanding first place regular season finish made short work of defending Knox Cup Champions Findlay Grrrowl in their opening round of the playoffs last weekend. In their four year history in Wooster, the Oilers have never won a championship and Oilers head coach Hart Duddy has assembled his strongest lineup to date in order to do just that.

For the second year in a row, the NJHL Championship weekend is hosted by the Oilers at the ten year old Alice Noble Arena in Wooster.

Unlike last year, this year's NJHL Championship weekend will actually feature two titles in one, with Team Ulysse traveling down from Quebec, Canada to challenge the NJHL champion for the inaugural "International Cup", meaning that the Bruins or Oilers can capture both the Knox Cup and International Cup this weekend. Fans in Wooster along with the many Bruins faithful making the three hour trek will have plenty to cheer about inside the comfy confines of the Noble Arena.

This weekend's game times are set as follows:
Friday, March 26 at 7:30pm - Troy Bruins vs Wooster Oilers
Saturday, March 27 at 1pm - Troy Bruins vs Team Ulysse
Saturday, March 27 at 7:30pm - Wooster Oilers vs Team Ulysse
Sunday, March 27 at 2pm - Championship Game (Knox/International Cup)

On The Air
All Troy Bruins games this weekend will be broadcast live from Wooster on www.MiamiCountyPost.com with the voice of the Bruins JT Szabo handling the play-by-play presented by Fox's Pizza Den & Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken. Fans can also watch all the action live by clicking on the "Watch Live Games" button on www.TroyBruins.com with the Bruins pregame show starting ten minutes prior to faceoff each game.

Tickets
A limited number of tickets are reserved for Troy fans making the trip. Friday is expected to be a sell out, as are most other games this weekend, with tickets $8 for Adults and $6 for students at the ANA Box Office. For more information, contact the Wooster Oilers at (330) 345-8686.

Jamestown, NY - It would take only two games to eliminate the Jamestown Jets from the opening round of the NJHL playoffs, pulling off an impressive 9-4 road victory inside the Jamestown Savings Bank Arena on Saturday night.

With the clear goal of eliminating the Jets in their minds, the Troy Bruins skated into game two of the NJHL Playoffs opening round picking up right where they left off on Friday night, scoring the game's first goal less than two minutes in. Once again stunning the Jamestown crowd still finding their seats, Egor Pogodin-Alekseev would propel a setup from fellow line mates and countrymen Gleb Luchnikov and Leonid Kovalev to blast a shot past the Jets netminder at 18:05. Yet, for the Russian native and youngest player on the Bruins team, Pogodin-Alekseev wasn't done as he found the puck on his stick off a Jamestown turnover, and was able to cash in for his second consecutive goal of the night at the 9:37 mark. Special teams play would rule for the Bruins on Friday night, and would continue as well in game two with a K's Powerplay goal by Aaron Huber at 7:05 and an additional lamplighter with under five minutes to go in the period to give the Bruins a commanding 4-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

Prior to the game, Bruins head coach Shane Hicke remarked to his squad that the game would need to be won one period at a time, and his club responded in the second with another quick and early goal less than three minutes in at 17:44 thanks to Kovalev scoring from Huber to take a 5-0 lead. Veteran leadership would extend the lead with captain Lee McClure dangling through the slot for his first goal of the playoffs to take the 6-0 lead at the 16:31 mark. Jamestown would come to life on a Jets powerplay to knock a deflection past Bruins starter Allan Dowler at 14:54 to break the shutout 6-1. Both teams would battle offensively as the period wound along, with the Jets cutting the lead to four with a blistering slapshot past Dowler's shoulder with less than six minutes remaining in the middle stanza. With a flurry of action in front of the Bruins net with just seconds to go, Dowler would come up big with a butterfly save to take his team into the second intermission ahead 6-2.

Unlike the previous several periods, the quick goal would actually come off the stick of the Jets offensive machine to cut the lead to three before Troy snapped back into their zone with defenseman Erik Levin sniping a shot from the far point at 13:37 assisted by Huber and Boyle. With regulation slipping away, the Jets would be forced to watch the Bruins add two more goals, first by Luchnikov with 12:47 and then again about a minute later at 11:37 with a surprise goal between the legs of Jets relief goalie Chad Karns by Justin Dornhecker to extend the lead 9-3. Jamestown, seeing their season coming to a close, would muster one final deflection through a screened Dowler, but it would not be nearly enough to challenge the Bruins by the end of sixty minutes of hockey. At the final horn, the Bruins would hold onto the 9-4 final score for the win.

With the win, the Bruins eliminate Jamestown in two games, and now head home to Troy for an intense week of preparation for the 2010 NJHL Championships next weekend in Wooster, Ohio against fierce in-state rival Wooster Oilers. More information on the championship weekend, including start times and broadcast info will be available on www.TroyBruins.com starting Monday.

While the Bruins home schedule is complete, Troy's historic Hobart Arena continues to see high-level hockey this weekend, as it hosts the 2010 Ohio State Bantam Championships from Friday until this afternoon.

Bantam hockey is youth travel consisting of players aged 13-15, with the Dayton Bluehawk travel hockey program acting as the host organization for the event.

Sunday afternoon's finale would see the Toledo Cherokee defeat Kent by a final score of 2-0 to capture the state title and a chance to advance to the Mid-Am regional and then National Finals in April.

Nearly ten teams competed in the three day event, helping to boost the local economy in an otherwise uneventful weekend in Troy.

BRUINS DOWN JETS 6-1 TO TAKE FIRST GAME OF SERIES

Jamestown, NY- The Troy Bruins would enter their first postseason in team history with a high-energy win over the Jamestown Jets 6-1 on Friday night inside the Jamestown Savings Bank Arena.

With the energy and determination of a seasoned powerhouse, the Troy Bruins opened up their first period of playoff hockey with a definite bang, thanks to newly named captain Willie Boyle setting up veteran forward Aaron Huber for the game's first goal just :11 in, stunning the crowd in Jamestown still coming through the turnstiles. Troy's dominance and control of the puck was noticeable throughout the period, giving Jets starting netminder and former Bruin Chad Karns a thorough workout even before the halfway mark of the opening period. Special teams play would excel for Shane Hicke's Bruins club, and with the help of a two-man advantage, Gleb Luchnikov found the back of the net from a Boyle and Huber pass from neutral ice to make it 2-0 with 12:26 to play in the period. Yet, the Bruins proved to the crowd that even strength hockey can be a forte, with Justin Dornhecker cashing in on a wrister from the slot in front of Karns with less than three minutes showing on the clock. Dornhecker's goal, his first of the playoffs and assisted by Luchnikov, came at the 2:54 mark. Troy skated into the first intermission with a dominating 3-0 lead.

After reacquainting each other throughout the first, the second period would settle down to be an impressive end-to-end hockey game, with both the Bruins and Jets earning good offensive chances on their respective attacking zones. Yet, it would be the Bruins who would draw the only goal of the middle period at the 4:03 mark with Danville, California native Derek McPherson scoring his first postseason lamplighter to lead his Bruins into the second intermission ahead of the Jamestown Jets an impressive 4-0.

Feeling the pressure of playoff hockey, the Jets would come into the third period with a bit more physical aggression towards the Bruins, ultimately capitalizing on a rebound in front of Bruins netminder Allan Dowler less than a minute gone in the final period. The Jets powerplay goal to start the period would also prove to be their last, as the Bruins recaptured the spirit of the game for the remainder. Cushin goals by the Bruins, first at the 4:37 mark by Huber, and then again with 2:30 to go off the stick of Egor Pogodin-Alekseev on the powerplay, would seal the deal and the 6-1 win for Troy.

With the win, the Bruins take game 1 of the three game series, and can eliminate the Jets with a second win on Saturday night.

Troy, OH - less than one week after finishing their inagural regular season inside the historic Hobart Arena with a pair of wins against rival Findlay Grrrowl, the second place Troy Bruins now prepare for their first playoff series in team history this weekend against the Jamestown Jets.

The Bruins (32-13-1) head to Jamestown New York's Savings Bank Arena for a best of three series against NJHL foe Jamestown Jets, beginning on Friday, March 19 at 7:35pm and continuing on Saturday, March 20 at 7:35pm with the rubber-match if necessary set for Sunday at 2pm.

In the six prior meetings between the Bruins and Jets, Troy has come away the victor in five after dropping their one and only loss to Jamestown 4-1 on the very first matchup back in December. Finishing in third place behind the Bruins, Jamestown hit a winless streak after the newyears which helped solidify the Bruins position at second place early, but like Troy, the Jets have finished the regular season strong hoping to carry that momentum into the first round of the playoffs this weekend.

Old Foe
In net for the Jets to close out the regular season is newly acquired rookie Chad Karns. Karns, a Miamisburg native, started the year with the Bruins but was later waived prior to the trade deadline and picked up by the Jets. He is expected to face his old teammates in the starting position for Jamestown on Friday night.

Veteran Leadership
Veteran centerman Willie Boyle, a native of Winter Garden, Florida, has been named the first Captain in Bruins history by head coach Shane Hicke. "Boyle has the veteran leadership that we've been needing all season, and with his experience winning championships in years past, along with his passion and drive to excel into the higher levels of the game, was the right choice to wear the coveted "C" "noted Hicke on the selection. Current Bruins alternate captains Lee McClure, Justin Dornhecker & Manny Lopez will continue their leader roles on the ice and in the dressing room. "Our four captains each contribute something unique and valuable, and together they will both propel and inspire our younger players and those without playoff experience".

Bruins On Your Phone
Fans can receive exclusive post game score alerts and more directly to their cell phone by signing up for the free Bruins text alert program at www.TroyBruins.com! Standard carrier text rates may apply.

On The Air
This weekend's playoff games in Jamestown, NY will be broadcast live on postTV starting ten minutes prior to faceoff with the "voice of the Bruins" JT Szabo handling the call presented by Fox's Pizza Den & Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken. To Tune into the games, visit www.TroyBruins.com and click on the "watch games live" button or visit www.MiamiCountyPost.com.

Philadelphia, PA - The Troy Bruins, one night removed from a fatigue-driven loss to the Philadelphia Thunder, got down to basics in Sunday afternoon's rematch to take away the 7-5 victory in the final regular season meeting between the two clubs.

Still faced with a shortage of top players in the active lineup, the Bruins skated onto the ice in Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon for one final time this season to rematch the Thunder club who wore them down for their first win against Troy less than 24 hours prior. Right off the opening faceoff, it would seem that history would repeat itself, with the Thunder catching a sluggish Bruins team off guard for two quick goals less than five minutes into the game to take the early 2-0 lead. For Bruins forward Gleb Luchnikov, a native of Serov, Russia, the hockey instinct that he has had since childhood would take over, allowing him to rush into the Thunder zone at the 13:51 mark and roof a shot past the goalie's shoulder to put the Bruins on the board and spark his teammates looking on. Like a cold engine needing to warm up, the Bruins offense machinery seemingly sprung to life, if only running on fumes, to tie the game less than a minute later at 12:41 thanks to the efforts of Derek McPherson and assisted by Leonid Kovalev on an even strength goal. For the second night in a row, Philadelphia's depth on the bench would prove to be the greatest challenge to the Bruins, striking the Thunder's go-ahead goal at 10:30 to recapture the lead at 3-2 off a rebound bounce in front of Bruins starting netminder Allan Dowler. Again coming to the rescue would be Luchnikov with an unassisted slick stick-handling goal from the slot just :67 seconds later to even the score at 3-3 before Luchnikov would feed veteran forward Lee McClure with a crisp centering pass in front of the crease to take an earned 4-3 lead into the dressing room after twenty minutes of play. Despite trailing on the scoreboard, Philadelphia would outshoot the Bruins in the first 20-14.

On Saturday night, the second period would prove to the the eventual downfall of the Bruins, yet head coach Shane Hicke and General Manager Rick Szabo would rally their players to prevent a similar outcome on Sunday. Not only did it keep the Thunder from scoring during the middle period, but the Bruins would actually muster enough offense throughout the twenty minute stanza to extend their lead by two. First for Troy would be Luchnikov's third goal of the game at 13:43, earning him a "hat trick" to take a 5-3 lead, before Lee McClure would bounce in his second goal of the night with less than three minutes remaining, an unassisted goal at 2:48 to make it a three point game heading into the second intermission leading the home Thunder 6-3.

Yet, for the Thunder, their regular season finale would be worth fighting for in the third period, making it an exciting third period for Philly and Troy fans alike. Keeping Dowler occupied throughout the final period would eventually lead to a Thunder goal with 4:17 to go in regulation, signaling Philadelphia's charge to get back into the game. Approaching two minutes remaining in the period, the Thunder pulled their goalie for the extra attacker, eventually setting up a shot from the far point that screamed its way past Dowler with 1:42 showing on the scoreboard, slicing the Bruins lead down to one headed towards the final horn. While Dowler would stand his ground in the Bruins defensive end, McClure would utilize every ounce of his effort to create a breakout into neutral ice and eventually towards the empty Philadelphia net for the cushion goal, and his second consecutive "hat trick" of the weekend. By the time the horn blew to end regulation, the Bruins had withstood the Thunder for a hard fought 7-5 victory, ending the season for the last-place Thunder on their home ice. Despite the Thunder having nearly double the players in uniform, Bruins President & General Manager commended his players, simply stating that "talent made the difference tonight". Final shots on goal through sixty minutes favored Philadelphia 39-22.

With the win, the Bruins improve their record to 30-13-1, earning the franchise's thirtieth win of the season and remain in clinched second place in the NJHL headed into their regular season finale next weekend at home. The Bruins host in-state rival Findlay Grrrowl this Saturday, March 13 at 8pm and Sunday, March 14 at 1:30pm inside the historic Hobart Arena. This weekend's series will be a tribute to the fans and sponsors who made the return of the Troy Bruins possible during the 2009-2010 season, with special prizes, giveaways and contests planned both days to say "thank you". For more information, call the Bruins at 985-PUCK or visit www.TroyBruins.com.

Understaffed Bruins Fall In Philadelphia 9-6

Philadelphia, PA - With several key players out of the lineup, the second place Troy Bruins made the trip to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for one final weekend series against the Philadelphia Thunder on Saturday night, falling by a final score of 9-6.

The Bruins would dust off their "bus legs" early, jumping out to an early lead on the first K's Hamburger Dhop powerplay of the night, as Jordan Carpender found the stick of Corey Evelyn who buried his shot to light the lamp just 1:30 into the contest. Keeping the energy flowing throughout the period, veteran leadership would extend the lead to two at the 13:42 mark, with Lee McClure blasting in a shot unassisted, before McClure would add his second of the night at the 5:09 mark, this time with an assist to Bruins starting netminder Allan Dowler, to make it a 3-0 game. With time winding down in the opening frame, it would be Evelyn again to set up offense in front of the Philly net, with a crisp centering pass to Danville, California native Derek McPherson with only :41 showing on the large scoreboard hanging above center ice. Despite the tempo being controlled by an energized Bruins club throughout the period, Philadelphia would capitalize on an errant bounce in front of a nearly flawless Dowler for the upsetting goal with only nine seconds to go, making it a 4-1 game after twenty minutes.

After seemingly squeezing every drop of effort out of his shorthanded club in the first period, Bruins head coach Shane Hicke would be forced to watch a role reversal in the second, with the Thunder controlling much of the tempo, led by a Philly goal scored less than a minute off the opening faceoff, followed by two additional goals past the halfway mark to chip away at the Bruins stockpile lead, eventually knocking the tying goal past the shoulder of an overworked Dowler at the 3:21 mark to even the score at 4-4. Again it would be veteran leadership from the Bruins that would make the difference, with McClure taking matters into his own hands with 1:15 to go in the period, as he capitalized off a point pass from defenseman Erik Levin to take the 5-4 lead into the dressing room after forty minutes. Most telling, Philadelphia's full compliment of players outshot the short staffed Bruins 40-18 after two periods.

Philadelphia would open it up in the third period, scoring three quick goals, two of which were on the Thunder powerplay, before Jordan Carpender mustered the Bruins sixth goal of the night unassisted to cut the Philly lead back to one with just 1:41 to go in regulation. Despite the exhaustion and fatigue of a full three periods with several key players out of the lineup, the game finally boiled over in the final minute, erupting into fisticuffs, with the Thunder cashing in on the resulting powerplays to squeak two more goals past Dowler to secure the 9-6 final score, securing Philidelphia's first-ever win against the Bruins. Final shots would favor the Thunder 58-23.

The Bruins drop their record to 29-13-1, holding on to their clinched second place, and rematch the Thunder for the final time this season on Sunday afternoon before coming home to the historic Hobart Arena for the final time to host the Findlay Grrrowl on Saturday, March 13 at 8pm and Sunday, March 14 at 1:30pm. For more information, call the Bruins at 985-PUCK or visit www.TroyBruins.com.