AUSTIN, Texas (AP)- The Pond Hockey Club. After being shut out for the first time in club history last week, the Bros looked to bounce back against the Master Skaters (MS) last night. The struggling Bros squad has not found any momentum this season, but things started out promising last night for the team.

The Bros put heavy pressure on MS goalie Brandon Fawks from the get go. Early indications led fans to believe the Bros were on their way to a victory early, but Goonies- er Master Skaters- never say die.

On his first shift of the night, David “Give Life Back to Bro” Biagini managed to fake everyone on the ice out with his pass-shot that managed to skim the ice past four players to find its way to the back of the net.For all you young statisticians out there, this was Biagini’s first goal as a member of the Bros.

Just a few minutes later, and with the Bros pouring on the shots, offensive anchor Noah “The Game of Bro” Leggett expertly picked the corner with blast from the middle to give the Bros a 2-0 lead. After the first period ended, the Bros outshot the MS 11-4.

The MS had some good opportunities early in the second frame, but excellent neutral zone pressure from Stephan “Giorgibro” Meyer and Fabian “Within Bro” Figi served as a near impenetrable force field for much of the period. The Deflection Machine Scott “Instant Bro Crush” Van Pelt nearly scored on a chest-high deflected shot, and he had two other golden opportunities (not to be confused with other golden opportunities allegedly made by Trump) on that same shift. The team’s leading scorer this season couldn’t get on the board, despite making some unbelievable passes through traffic to find open teammates.

Drew “Lose Yourbro to Dance” John and Ross “Bro Touch” Tagtow had relatively quiet nights. While John managed to only put one shot on net, he had two crucial take aways in the neutral zone that led to odd man rushes. The MS seemed to mark Tagtow, and played him man to man most of the night.

Captain Andrew “Get Lucky Bro” Feigenbaum played well positionally and made strong passes despite looking a step slow. He seems to have settled his shots down and kept the puck low last night along with making a few key blocks. Chris “Broyond” Beard was once again a pillar of stability, and saved several odd man rushes.

With the game, and the Bros, in cruise control, MS struck early on in the final frame, and momentum swung. With the Bros holding on to a fragile one goal lead, MS willed their way to tie the game with 2:48 remaining. With the Bros pushing to gain the lead, Layne “Brotherboard” Brougher found himself facing a three-on-one in the defensive zone. Brougher dove on the ice to break up the passing lane and effectively killed the rush. He was awarded the coveted Gonzales Flag for that near-game saving play.

Despite the exceptional goaltending from Chris “Doin’ it Bro” Luscombe, another unlucky puck bounce in front of the net found its way behind him with 1:01 left in the match. The goal killed any sense of esperance for the squad, and the Bros were unable to recover. They lost 3-2.

The team looks to right the ship next week against a similarly struggling Learn2Skate squad.

GAME NOTES:
Larry “Fragments of Bro” Powell did not play because a wheel on his equipment bag broke.

Tom “Brontact” Harp did not play because he was on loan to the Blue Lions of the Chaparral Leagues.

Nick “Broroder” Leggett did not play because of a run-in with a bucket-headed samurai.

BY THE NUMBERS:
4- Straight losses by the Bros
2- Straight regulation losses by the Bros
2- Number of goals scored by the Bros in as many games