North Iowa Bulls
| North Iowa Bulls | |
|---|---|
| City | Mason City, Iowa |
| League | NA3HL |
| Division | Central |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Home arena | North Iowa Ice Arena |
| Colors | Blue, green, white |
| Owner(s) | Bill Yuill, CEO Consolidated Sports Holdings Inc. |
| General manager | Todd Sanden |
| Head coach | Todd Sanden |
| Website | www |
The North Iowa Bulls are a Tier III junior ice hockey team in the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL). They play their home games at the North Iowa Ice Arena in Mason City, Iowa. The Bulls play a 47-game regular season schedule which includes a three-game showcase, as well as a postseason. The Bulls are coached by Todd Sanden, who has been with the team since their inception.
The Bulls began playing in 2011, losing their first game to the Chicago Hitmen, 3–1. North Iowa would earn the franchise's first win on October 2, 2011 with a 5–4 win over the Peoria Mustangs. The Bulls would improve as their inaugural season went on and would finish with a record of 29–15–0–4 for a second-place finish in the West Division. The Bulls would win their first round series over the Twin City Steel two-games-to-none. In round two, the Bulls faced the Granite City Lumberjacks and traded overtime victories in the first two games. The Lumberjacks would take the winner-take-all game three by a score of 3–2.
In their next season, the Bulls would go on to win their first division championship. They dominated the regular season and finished with a 41–4–1–2 record. They swept the Minnesota Flying Aces three-games-to-none in the first round of the playoffs. They then advanced through the round-robin of pool play game at the Silver Cup Tournament to face the Lumberjacks once again, with the winner advancing to the championship game. The Silver Cup semifinal game went to over time and the Bulls won 3–2. In the Silver Cup Championship, the Bulls would go up against the Peoria Mustangs and NA3HL Goaltender of the Year, Michael Parda. The Bulls would chase Parda in the first period and win in a landslide 11-0 for their first Silver Cup Championship Title.
After winning the NA3HL championship, the Bulls advanced to the USA Hockey Tier III Junior National Championships. The Bulls would go 3–0 in their pool during the round-robin tournament. They then faced the Helena Bighorns in a semifinal that lasted into the second overtime period before the Bulls won. The Bulls then won their first National Championship over the Twin Cities Northern Lights with a 6–2 victory at the Rochester Recreation Center in Rochester, Minnesota.
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