AUSTIN, Texas – (AP) The Pond Hockey Club. The Bros faced off against the Golden Thrashers (aka Golden Showers) on Wednesday night in their first meeting against the team since the Spring 2017 Championship when the Bros took home the trophy and sent the Showers home with nothing to show for the season but a UTI.

The atmosphere in the Bros #3 locker room prior to the game was all business. They wanted to put Saturday’s loss to Burt’s Reynolds behind them. The roster was full and the lines were posted on the wall on a yellow Post It note. The only substitute was Mantooth in the cage for Chris “When I’m Gone Bro” Luscombe.

Twenty-two seconds into the game the Thrashers scored, taking possession of an early lead and the game’s momentum. According to science, if a team scores 5 minutes after the opening face-off their chances of winning increase from 50 to 70 percent. But the Bros don’t believe in science, and it wasn’t long until Steve “On My Bro” Czerniak responded to tie the game. The period ended tied at one, with more than a dozen shots on the board for either side.

The Trashers struck first again in the second, as the Bros seemed to be playing down to their opponents’ level. The Bros, who rely on their speed, couldn’t seem to break out of the zone quickly with any forward momentum.

About half way through the second period, strange things started happening. During face-offs, the young ref refused to blow his whistle before dropping the puck, much to the consternation of centerman Jay “Bro and Yellow” Wood. It was later determined that the ref had given his whistle to a little girl in attendance, causing all sorts of confusion on the ice. Meanwhile, the Thrashers were playing as if in the Russian Beer League Federation, hacking and the Bros every chance they got. When referee Spell the Elder decided to use his whistle, it was to penalize Noah “Bro Up” Leggett.

The Thrashers were moving the puck around well during the power play until the Bros were finally able to clear the puck and break out in the neutral zone. A three on one developed after Chris “Hopes & Bros” Beard tackled a dude and culminated in a beautiful pass from Ross “Wake Up Bro” Tagtow to Bert “Bro Race” Bischof waiting at the backdoor for his first (short-handed) goal of the season.

A few minutes later, after a failed pass attempt up the boards and out of the zone, Beardy found himself behind the net and the Thrashers standing still. “So I think, ‘Eff it,’ I’ll just skate it the other way,” Beard said in the locker room press-avail following the game. Once he got past the last defender he cut hard to the net and slid the puck around their goalie, Fawk, and past the goal line to make it three to one.

Less than a minute later, the Thrashers struck back to make it a one goal game, but the Bros refused to cede control. With a defense led by Andrew “Start of the Bro” Feigenbaum, and hustle from perhaps their strongest two-way player Nick “No Sleep Bro” Leggett — the Bros kept the defensive pressure on by stepping up to block shots and win battles along the boards to clear the puck.

Their efforts paid off when Czerniak, posted in front of the net, scored on a rebound from Noah Leggett to make it 4-2 to close out the second.

Throughout the third, both teams had several scoring chances, especially the Bros whose strong forechecking led to possession below the dots that had the Thrasher defense scrambling. Kevin “Get Your Shit Bro” Gifford, Kyle “Top Floor Bro” McIntosh, and Scott “Fly Bro” Van Pelt each had a handful of chances that would have added to the offensive power trio’s already impressive stats this season.

The Bros had penalties to kill late in the third when Travis “Bro Rooftops” Considine and Feigenbaum received a pair — both much deserved. It is worth reporting that despite his reputation, Considine still has fewer PIM than Feigenbaum this season.

The Thrashers pushed hard the final two minutes of the game but the Bros top line was able to shut them down, grinding until the very last second when Fabian “Cameras Bro” Figi blocked a hard shot denying the Thrashers any hope as the buzzer rang.

While it wasn’t always pretty, the Bros effort during the game can’t be understated and they were happy to go home with the win.