Mason City, Iowa — St. Cloud ended a four-game skid on a four-goal night as the Norsemen took a come-from-behind 4-2 victory in the team’s first visit to the North Iowa Bulls.
Forwards Blake Mesenburg (Orono, MN) and Nik Hong (Minneapolis, MN) each netted a pair of goals while goaltender Tomas Bolo made 21 saves to earn his sixth win in the net.
St. Cloud outshot the Bulls 13-2 in the first period, which ended in a scoreless deadlock.
In the second period, the scoring opened up when North Iowa scored on the power play and followed up with an even-strength tally less than two minutes later.
The Norsemen responded with Mesenburg tallying his first goal of the night on the power play and adding an even strength score to knot the game 2-2.
With less than four minutes to play in the period, Hong scored the go-ahead goal to put the Norsemen ahead 3-2 and they’d never surrender the lead. In the third, Hong scored his second of the game, the team’s second shorthanded goal of the season, to cap the scoring at 4-2.
Hong now has 5 goals and 18 points on the season, while Mesenburg has 4 goals and 17 points. Forward Blake Perbix, Brandon Lajoie and Logan Kittleson notched assists, as did defensemen Broten Sabo and Nick Young.
The Bulls had an 11-0 record when scoring first coming into the contest. The Norsemen are the first team this season to register a comeback win over North Iowa.
St. Cloud (10-9-0-0) returns to the Municipal Athletic Complex to face the Bulls on home ice Saturday, Dec. 4 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are on sale online at tickets.stcloudnorsemen.com. Two-for-one drinks are available during pregame Happy Hour from 6-7 p.m.
Prior to puck drop, St. Cloud will reveal the first ever Norsemen mascot and announce the name of the mascot, so don’t miss your chance to witness team history!
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