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.