The Mason City Toros face the Rochester Grizzlies in a home-and-home this weekend with Friday’s 7:30 p.m. game at Mason City Arena and Saturday’s 7:05 tilt at the Rochester Rec Center.
The Toros split last weekend’s two-game set at the Granite City Lumberjacks. Friday, Carter Newpower and Jack Campion both scored and Ryan Knight stopped 30-of-31 shots in a 2-1 win. Saturday, the Toros suffered their first loss of the season despite goals from Campion and Cullen Hogan.
Newpower and Hogan’s goals last weekend were both shorthanded, the first two scored by the Toros this season. All-in-all, Mason City was a perfect 11-for-11 on the penalty kill against Granite City, including 7-for-7 last Saturday. The Toros have not allowed a power play goal in their last seven periods.
The Grizzlies are coming off a two-game weekend sweep of the Peoria Mustangs to improve to 5-0-0-0. They are outscoring opponents 24-11 and have only allowed one power play goal on eight opportunities.
Rochester is one of just seven remaining unbeaten teams in the NA3HL and one of four unbeaten teams remaining who have played at least five games.
The Grizzlies are the only opponent outside of the NA3HL West Division that Mason City will face this season. Rochester fell to the Toros’ NA3HL predecessor, the North Iowa Bulls, in the 2021 Fraser Cup Championship.
