Who: Minnesota Wilderness vs. Austin Bruins
When: Friday, Sept. 1, 7:00 p.m.; and Saturday, Sept 2, 7:15 p.m.
Where: Friday: Riverside Arena, Austin; Saturday: St. Luke’s Sports and Events Center, Proctor
The lead: Fans will get their first look at the 2023-24 Minnesota Wilderness in a pair of exhibition contests vs. the Austin Bruins. The Wilderness will visit the Bruins in the opener of the home-and-home set Friday night, while Minnesota will host Saturday night’s game at its temporary home in Proctor.
Media: All of the action can be seen on nahltv.com.
2022-23 Records: Austin: 34-16-10, 78 points 1ST place, Central Division; Minnesota: 35-18-7, 77 points, 2ND place, Midwest Division
2023 playoffs: Austin won the Central Division playoff crown to advance to the Robertson Cup semi-finals for the first time since 2015. There, the Bruins defeated Maryland in 3 games, but then dropped the single-game championship to Oklahoma 4-3. After capturing the Midwest Division playoff title, the Wilderness also made its first semi-finals since 2015, but then fell to Oklahoma 2-games-to none.
St. Clair’s Coaching Debut: This will mark Colten St. Clair’s first games behind the Wilderness bench after being hired as head coach last June. Since completing his playing career in 2016-17, the 30-year-old St. Clair has been involved in coaching, beginning with one season as the head coach of the Phoenix Knights of the WSHL, where he won the league’s coach of the year award for 2017-18. He comes to the Wilderness after serving two seasons as associate head coach of the Sioux City Musketeers, including 2021-22 when the team won the USHL’s Clark Cup championship.
Returning to the Woods: Among the 29 players that began its training camp on Monday, the Wilderness welcomes back eight who were with the team during the 2022-23 season. Forwards Joe Cesario, Adam Johnson, Eddie Shepler, Evan Pahos, and Oliver Stümpel join defensemen Gustavs Ozolins and Carson Liebaert and goaltender Nick Erickson.
Opening Day: These games will act as tune ups for these squads as they prepare for their 2022-23 regular season debuts. Minnesota will kick off the season Sept 9th at home against the Anchorage Wolverines, while Austin’s opener will take place at the NAHL Showcase in Blaine, MN, on Sept. 13, vs. the Philadelphia Rebels.