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North Iowa Bulls

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North Iowa Bulls
Mason City Toros
CityMason City, Iowa
LeagueNorth American Hockey League
North American 3 Hockey League
DivisionCentral
Founded2011 (NA3HL franchise)
2008 (NAHL franchise)
Home arenaMason City Multipurpose Arena
ColorsGreen, blue, white
     
Owner(s)Alberto Fernandez, F&S Management
General managerTodd Sanden
Head coachTodd Sanden (NAHL)
Nick Bruneteau (NA3HL)
Websitewww.northiowabulls.com
Franchise history
NA3HL franchise
2011–2021North Iowa Bulls
2021–presentMason City Toros
NAHL franchise
2008–2010Albert Lea Thunder
2010–2021Amarillo Bulls
2021–presentNorth Iowa Bulls

The North Iowa Bulls are a Tier II junior ice hockey team in the North American Hockey League (NAHL). They play their home games at the Mason City Multipurpose Arena in Mason City, Iowa. The organization also operates a Tier III junior team in the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) that was known as the North Iowa Bulls from 2011 to 2021 before relocating the Tier II Amarillo Bulls' franchise to Mason City and rebranding the Tier III team as the Mason City Toros. The Bulls are coached by Todd Sanden, who has been with the North Iowa team since its inception in 2011.

History

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Tier III: 2011–present

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The Bulls began playing in 2011,[1] losing their first game to the Chicago Hitmen 3–1 before earning their first win on October 2, 2011, with a 5–4 win over the Peoria Mustangs. After losing seven of their first eight, the team finished 29–15–0–4 and second place in the West Division. The Bulls won their first round series over the Twin City Steel two-games-to-none, but lost their division final series to the Granite City Lumberjacks two-games-to-one. The teams traded overtime victories in the first two games before the Lumberjacks took the final game by a score of 3–2.

The Bulls won their first division championship the following year finishing 41–4–1–2. They swept the Minnesota Flying Aces in three games in the first round before advancing through round-robin play at the Silver Cup tournament to beat Granite City 3–2 in overtime. An 11–0 win over the Peoria Mustangs gave the team its first league championship.[2] The Bulls then advanced to the USA Hockey Tier III Junior National Championships in Rochester, Minnesota, sweeping all three games in pool play. The Bulls defeated the Helena Bighorns in double-overtime in the semifinal and won their first Tier III Junior National Championship with a 6–2 win over the Twin Cities Northern Lights.[3]

In the 2013–14 season, North Iowa set an NA3HL record with 90 points, finishing with a 45–3 record and their second straight West Division title. The team's top line of Matt Kroska, Rihards Marenis, and Timothy Santopoalo combined for 353 points, with Kroska's 122 points and Marenis's 55 goals setting the league records in both categories. After sweeping the Twin City Steel in the first round of the NA3HL playoffs, they once again met the Lumberjacks in the West Division finals, winning the decisive third game by a 9–5 score to advance to their second straight Silver Cup Tournament. The Bulls then outscored their opponents 24–4 over the next four games. They defeated the Flint Jr. Generals 3–0 to win their second straight Silver Cup. North Iowa advanced to the Tier III Junior National Championships in Simsbury, Connecticut, again going 3–0 in round-robin play against the Florida Jr. Blades, Dells Ducks, and Boston Bandits. The Bulls defeated the Northern Cyclones 5–1 in the semifinal game before losing 2–1 in the championship game to the Boston Junior Bruins of the USPHL Premier Division.

In 2014–15, the Bulls had a record of 6–4 through the first ten games on the road before returning home and winning 11 straight games. The Bulls and Lumberjacks led the West Division throughout the entire season, leading up to the final weekend series between the two teams to end the regular season with the Bulls winning to finish with a 37–9–1 record and the West Division title. In the playoffs, the Bulls swept the Twin City Steel in two games then defeated Granite City in three games in the division finals. In round-robin play at the Silver Cup Tournament, the Bulls defeated Granite City, the West Michigan Wolves, and the Great Falls Americans. The Bulls then lost the Silver Cup championship game to the Lumberjacks. The Bulls still advanced to the Tier III national championship as the league runners-up in Simsbury, Connecticut. The tournament was split into an "A" and "B" division with the Bulls in the "A" Division with the Granite City Lumberjacks, Dells Ducks, and Northern Cyclones. The Bulls would go 2–1 in the tournament, losing only to the Lumberjacks once again. The Bulls advanced to the title game over the Lumberjacks due to a higher score differential. The Bulls won their second Tier III national championship over the Northern Cyclones, 2–1.

North Iowa finished the 2015–16 season with a 42–2–3 record after moving to the Central Division, including a 27-game winning streak and a league-record 57 goals from captain Brett Gravelle. The Bulls defeated the Rochester Ice Hawks and La Crosse Freeze in two-game sweeps to reach the Silver Cup Tournament for the fourth straight year. The Bulls defeated the Yellowstone Quake and Great Falls Americans in the round-robin, followed by an overtime win against Twin City in the semifinal and a 4–1 victory over the Metro Jets for their third league championship in four seasons.[4]

The Bulls earned their fifth straight trip to the Silver Cup tournament the following 2016–17 season, with another division title and a 35–10–1–1 finish in the regular season. North Iowa swept Rochester and La Crosse in two games each to advance to the Silver Cup tournament. The Bulls won two games against the Long Beach Sharks and Binghamton Jr. Senators but lost to Yellowstone in the round-robin and did not advance. North Iowa won one more Central Division title in 2017–18, going 39–4–2–2 and sweeping the Wausau RiverWolves in two games in the first round. The La Crosse Freeze then defeated the Bulls with a two-game sweep in the Central Division finals, failing to make a tournament appearance for the first time since their inaugural season.

North Iowa finished in second place in their return to the West Division in 2018–19, going 32–12–3 and finishing behind Granite City with 67 points. The Bulls defeated the Rochester Grizzlies in a three-game series. The Alexandria Blizzard beat the top-seeded Granite City in a three-game first-round series, advancing to the West Division Finals before the Bulls swept them in two games. North Iowa split its first two games at the Fraser Cup tournament, formerly known as the Silver Cup, with a loss to the Lewiston/Auburn Nordiques and a win over the Helena Bighorns, but ended their season with a 3–1 loss to the eventual champion Texas Jr. Brahmas in the semifinal.[5]

The Bulls took the West Division title in 2019–20, going 38–7–2 for the season and winning their final eight games. The team also moved out of its longtime home at the North Iowa Ice Arena, moving downtown to the new Mason City Multipurpose Arena at midseason. The team drew record crowds in its new home, averaging 1,585 fans over its first 11 games.[6] Prior to the start of the playoffs, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic caused the playoffs to be cancelled.[7]

At the time of the announcement that the North Iowa Bulls would be promoted to Tier II, it had not been decided if the organization would continue to have a Tier III team as well in 2021–22,[8][9] originally deciding to only have the Tier II team in Mason City.[10] The NA3HL Bulls won the Fraser Cup championship in their final season.[11] The organization the stated it will still operate a Tier III team, but has not determined a brand or location.[12] On June 1, 2021, the organization announced the Tier III team had been rebranded the Mason City Toros and would remain in Mason City for at least one more season.[13] With Sanden staying on as head coach of the Tier II Bulls, the Toros hired Nick Bruneteau as the next head coach.[14]

Tier II: 2021–present

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In 2019, owners of the North Iowa Bulls, F&S Management Company LLC, acquired the Amarillo Bulls of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) and the North Iowa Bulls gained a Tier II affiliation.[15] On March 5, 2021, it was announced that the Amarillo team would relocate to Mason City starting in the 2021–22 season as the North Iowa Bulls.[16] Todd Sanden remained the head coach and general manager of the North Iowa Bulls after joining the NAHL.[17]

Season-by-season records

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NAHL

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Season GP W L OTL PTS GF GA PIM Regular Season Finish Playoffs
2021–22 60 22 28 10 54 194 234 857 6th of 6, Central
25th of 29, NAHL		 Did not qualify
2022–23 60 29 27 4 62 167 179 647 6th of 6, Central
23rd of 29, NAHL		 Did not qualify
2023–24 59 11 46 2 24 108 259 1403 6th of 6 Central, 32 of 32 NAHL Eliminated

NA3HL

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Season GP W L OTL PTS GF GA Regular Season Finish Playoffs
2011–12 48 29 15 4 62 172 156 2nd of 4, West Div.
4th of 16, NA3HL		 Won Division Semifinals, 2–0 vs. Twin City Steel
Lost Division Finals, 1–2 Granite City Lumberjacks
2012–13 48 41 4 3 85 297 114 1st of 5, West Div. Won Division Semifinals, 3–0 vs. Minnesota Flying Aces
2–0–0 in Silver Cup round-robin
(W, 5–0 vs. Jr. Generals; OTW, 3–2 vs. Lumberjacks);
Won Silver Cup Championship game, 11–0 vs. Peoria Mustangs
2013–14 48 45 3 0 90 334 92 1st of 5, West Div.
1st of 21, NA3HL		 Won Division Semifinals, 2–0 vs. Twin City Steel
Won Division Finals, 2–1 vs. Granite City Lumberjacks
3–0–0 in Silver Cup round-robin
(W, 7–1 vs. Jr. Stars; W, 7–0 vs. Jr. Blues; W, 7–3 vs. Jr. Generals)
Won Silver Cup Championship game, 3–0 vs. Flint Jr. Generals
2014–15 47 37 9 1 75 245 109 1st of 6, West Div.
2nd of 31, NA3HL		 Won Division Semifinals, 2–0 vs. Twin City Steel
Won Division Finals, 2–1 vs. Granite City Lumberjacks
3–0–0 in Silver Cup round-robin
(W, 7–4 vs. Lumberjacks; W, 2–0 vs. Wolves; W, 6–1 vs. Americans)
Lost Championship game, 2–3 vs. Granite City Lumberjacks
2015–16 47 42 2 3 87 301 63 1st of 5, Central Div.
1st of 34, NA3HL		 Won Division Semifinals, 2–0 vs. Rochester Ice Hawks
Won Division Finals, 2–0 vs. La Crosse Freeze
2–1–0 in Silver Cup round-robin
(W, 6–2 vs. Quake; W, 4–1 vs. Americans; L, 3–4 vs. Ducks)
Won Silver Cup Semifinal game, 4–3 OT vs. Twin City Steel
Won Silver Cup Championship game, 4–1 vs. Metro Jets
2016–17 47 35 10 2 72 268 111 1st of 5, Central Div
8th of 48, NA3HL		 Won Division Semifinals, 2–0 vs. Rochester Ice Hawks
Won Division Finals, 2–0 vs. La Crosse Freeze
2–1–0 in Silver Cup round-robin
(L, 2–4 vs. Quake; OTW, 3–2 vs. Jr. Senators; W, 8–4 vs. Sharks)
2017–18 47 39 4 4 82 304 92 1st of 5, Central Div
2nd of 42, NA3HL		 Won Division Semifinals, 2–0 vs. Wausau RiverWolves
Lost Division Finals, 0–2 vs. La Crosse Freeze
2018–19 47 32 12 3 67 228 121 2nd of 7, West Div
11th of 36, NA3HL		 Won Division Semifinals, 2–1 vs. Rochester Grizzlies
Won Div. Finals, 2–0 vs. Alexandria Blizzard
1–1–0 in Fraser Cup round-robin
(L, 4–7 vs. Nordiques; W, 8–2 vs. Bighorns)
Lost Semifinal game, 1–3 vs. Texas Jr. Brahmas
2019–20 47 38 7 2 78 272 96 1st of 6, West Div
4th of 34, NA3HL		 Playoffs cancelled
2020–21 40 27 11 2 56 182 104 1st of 5, West Div
8th of 31, NA3HL		 Won Div. Semifinals, 2–1 vs. Alexandria Blizzard
Won Div. Finals, 2–1 vs. Willmar WarHawks
2–0–0 in Fraser Cup round-robin Pool A
(OTW, 2–1 vs. Hawks; W, 8–1 vs. Generals)
Won Semifinal game, 2–1 vs. Oklahoma City Jr. Blazers
Won Fraser Cup Championship game, 5–1 vs. Rochester Grizzlies
2021–22 47 33 13 1 67 241 217 2nd of 6, West Div
8th of 31, NA3HL		 Won Div. Semifinals, 2–0 vs. Willmar WarHawks
Lost Div. Finals, 1–2 vs. Granite City Lumberjacks
2022–23 47 30 16 1 61 183 156 3rd of 6, West Div
12th of 34, NA3HL		 Lost Div. Semifinals, 1–2 vs. Alexandria Blizzard
2023–24 47 24 20 3 51 201 167 4th of 6, West Div
18th of 34, NA3HL		 Lost Div. Semifinals, 1-2 vs. Granite City Lumberjacks

USA Hockey Tier III Junior Hockey National Championship

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Year Round Robin Record Place Semifinal Championship
2013[18] W, 5–2 vs. New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs (EmJHL)
W, 7–0 vs. Bellingham Blazers (NPHL)
W, 5–1 vs. Twin Cities Northern Lights (MnJHL)		 3–0–0 1st of 4
National Pool		 OTW, 3–2 vs. Helena Bighorns (AWHL) W, 6–2 vs. Twin Cities Northern Lights (MnJHL)
National Champions
2014[19] W, 5–0 vs. Florida Jr. Blades (USPHL-Empire)
W, 5–1 vs. Dells Ducks (MnJHL)
W, 11–2 vs. Boston Bandits (MetJHL)		 3–0–0 1st of 4
Pool C		 W, 5–1 vs. Northern Cyclones (EHL) L, 1–4 vs. Boston Junior Bruins (USPHL-Premier)
2015[20] W, 3–1 vs. Northern Cyclones (EHL)
W, 2–1 vs. Dells Ducks (MnJHL)
L, 3–4 vs. Granite City Lumberjacks (NA3HL)		 2–1–0 2nd of 4
Div. 1		 Not played W, 2–1 vs. Northern Cyclones (EHL)
National Champions

Alumni

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The Bulls have advanced a number of players on to higher levels of junior hockey including the North American Hockey League, as well as NCAA Division I, NCAA Division III and ACHA college programs.

Division I

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References

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  1. ^ "NA3HL approves Mason City, Iowa membership". NA3HL. May 6, 2011.
  2. ^ "North Iowa Bulls crowned 2012-13 NA3HL Silver Cup Champions". NA3HL. March 30, 2013.
  3. ^ "Junior Tier III: North Iowa Bulls Charge to National Title". USA Hockey. April 9, 2013.
  4. ^ "North Iowa turns aside Metro Jets 4-1 for NA3HL crown". North Iowa Bulls. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  5. ^ "Bulls' Season Ended By Brahmas, 3-1". North Iowa Bulls. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  6. ^ "COVID-19 Ends Bulls' Title Hopes, Closes Incredible Season". North Iowa Bulls. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  7. ^ "NA3HL Announces Cancellation of Fraser Cup Playoffs". North Iowa Bulls. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  8. ^ "NAHL announces relocation of Amarillo Bulls to Mason City, Iowa". NAHL. March 5, 2021.
  9. ^ "North Iowa Bulls Announce Move to NAHL". North Iowa Bulls. March 5, 2021.
  10. ^ "Bulls' Final NA3HL Home Game Ends with Win, Trip to Fraser Cup". North Iowa Bulls. April 11, 2021.
  11. ^ "North Iowa Bulls cap off 'Decade of Dominance' with Fraser Cup win". Globe Gazette. April 19, 2021.
  12. ^ "Bulls Look Back on Fourth National Championship Season". North Iowa Bulls. April 28, 2021.
  13. ^ "Mason City Toros begin new era in the NA3HL". NA3HL. June 1, 2021.
  14. ^ "Mason City Toros name Bruneteau as Head Coach". NA3HL. June 3, 2021.
  15. ^ "Amarillo Bulls announce new ownership ahead of 10th anniversary season". KFDA-TV. September 27, 2019.
  16. ^ "A Letter to Amarillo Bulls Fans". Amarillo Bulls. March 5, 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  17. ^ "Bulls Take 11 in NA3HL Draft". North Iowa Bulls. April 28, 2021.
  18. ^ "2013 Tier III Nat. Championships". USA Hockey. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
  19. ^ "2014 Tier III Nat. Championships". USA Hockey. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
  20. ^ "2015 Tier III Junior Nat. Championships". USA Hockey. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  21. ^ "Chill goalie Carlson makes NCAA DI commitment". North American Hockey League (NAHL). Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  22. ^ "Aaron Davis' Elite Prospects Profile". Elite Prospects. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  23. ^ "Coulee Region forward Florian makes NCAA DI commitment". North American Hockey League. May 18, 2016.
  24. ^ "Bay State Breakers '92 goalie Greg Ogard commits to Denver". SB Nation. July 11, 2013.
  25. ^ "Former Bulls Star Sato Speeds off to New Hampshire". North Iowa Bulls. April 5, 2017.
  26. ^ "New Hampshire Receives Commitment From Japanese Player". College Hockey News. April 5, 2017.
  27. ^ "Northeast forward Sato makes NCAA DI commitment". North American Hockey League. April 5, 2017.
  28. ^ "Go East, Young Man: Solow Commits to Merrimack, Hockey East". North Iowa Bulls. January 18, 2017.
  29. ^ "NAHL Defenseman Jeff Solow Will Join Merrimack For Second Half". The Mack Report. January 17, 2017.
  30. ^ "Amarillo defenseman Solow makes NCAA DI commitment". North American Hockey League. January 18, 2017.
  31. ^ "Fairbanks goaltender Benson makes NCAA DI commitment". North American Hockey League (NAHL). Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  32. ^ "Lone Star goalie Eisele makes NCAA DI commitment". North American Hockey League (NAHL). Retrieved 2020-05-27.
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