AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters)- For the fourth straight week at the Pond, the Bros HC handed a victory to their opponent. Brandon Fawkes and the Wolves proved to be too much for the struggling Bros. The team demonstrated inefficient passing that often times found the tape of a Wolves’ stick, an absence of neutral zone backchecking presence, a general lack of net presence, and a general inability to involve the defenseman on the forecheck. The five Bro goals all demonstrated some sort of whole-line effort that should be present for 50 minutes. Last night, the Bros were never really “in” the game against the Wolves, and still managed to lose by only three goals. The team was led offensively by Fabian “Baby I’m A Star” Figi, who collected two assists, a beautiful goal, and the coveted Gonzales flag. The Bros, down 2-0 midway through the first, roared to life for a brief four minute stretch, when Scott “I Would Die 4 U” Van Pelt ended his 20-year scoring drought with a surge to the net and a clean backhand finish in the back-of- the-twine oasis. Figi scored the Bro’s second goal on a beautiful wrap-around. Captain Andrew “When Doves Cry” Feigenbaum, crept down toward the faceoff circle from the blue line to take the one-timer, which drew the Wolves off the goal line, giving Figi enough time to bury the three-inch puck into a one-inch gap between Brandon Fawkes’ skate and the post. In post-game interview, Figi was quick to insist that he was simply “minding the gap.” Feigenbaum and Figi had great chemistry last night, nearly converting on a beautiful odd-man rush to the net. Figi’s blade caught the pass, but just missed the post. After a third Wolves goal, the two teams set the halfway mark in a close 3-2 game. That score, however, would not last long.

The Wolves opened the second half full throttle, with laser guided pucks. After turnover upon turnover on bad passes, or inability to read the play to know when to pass, or not taking the shots, the Wolves stripped the Bros of any momentum and started opening up their lead. In a rare moment of offensive clarity, the Bros put together a nice play when Danny “Let’s Go Crazy” Pranno looked back and fed Roy “Computer Blue” St. John the puck. St. John, who struggled with soft hands last night, was able to thread the needle and score from the top of the circles. Mic “Take Me with U” Bush carried the puck deep into the Wolves zone, but had difficulty finding his rhythm and could not get more than two shots on net. Midway through the second and down 6-3, Ross “Darling Nikki” Tagtow found a nearly three-line tape-to-tape sauce pass from the Captain on his stick and sniped a blocker high goal on Fawkes, and closed the gap to 6-4. The Wolves responded, and despite an excellent two-way game by Matty “The Beautiful Ones” Young, there simply was not enough help from forwards on the back check. Despite not scoring, Young played his best game of the season on what could be his farewell tour with the Bros. Marc “Purple Rain” Henderson scored the fifth Bros goal, sneaking the puck past Fawkes late in the game. Goalie Steven “Father’s Song” Sullivan played a strong game for most of the duration. He was the victim of a few odd bounces and unfavorable rebounds. Sullivan was again strong on the penalty shot, stopping both that he faced last night.

BY THE NUMBERS:
4- Straight losses, tying a Bros franchise record
6- Straight penalty shots stopped by Sullivan

GAME NOTES:
Scott McNearney was a healthy scratch, but did not travel with the team.
Steph Meyer was a healthy scratch.

RIP Prince.