Minnesota Mallards

Mallards Sweep Brown Bears on Opening Weekend, Carry Momentum Into Another Home Set

Sep 14, 2026

The Minnesota Mallards couldn’t have asked for a much better start to the regular season.

Playing in front of their home crowd at the Forest Lake Sports Center, the Mallards opened the season with back-to-back wins over the Kenai River Brown Bears, earning a weekend sweep and starting the year 2-0.

Offensive Firepower on Opening Night

The Mallards came out firing Friday night, defeating the Brown Bears 7-4 in an action-packed season opener.

After Kenai River struck first, Minnesota responded in a big way. The Mallards found their rhythm offensively and put together four unanswered goals in the opening period, quickly turning the momentum in their favor.

Minnesota continued to generate offense throughout the night, eventually putting seven on the board to secure its first victory of the regular season.

The win gave Mallards fans plenty to celebrate on opening night and provided an early look at the speed, skill and depth this group can bring to the ice.

Mallards Finish the Sweep

Minnesota returned to the Forest Lake Sports Center on Saturday looking to finish the job.

The second game featured a tighter battle, but once again the Mallards found a way to come out on top. Minnesota earned a 4-2 victory to complete the two-game sweep of the Brown Bears.

Starting the regular season with consecutive wins was an important step for a Mallards team continuing to build chemistry and establish its identity. More importantly, Minnesota showed it could win in different ways — producing seven goals in a high-scoring opener before responding with a more controlled performance the following night.

With the sweep, the Mallards move to 2-0 and carry plenty of momentum into another big weekend at home.

Two More Alaska Opponents Coming to Forest Lake

The Mallards won’t have to wait long for their next challenge.

Minnesota remains at the Forest Lake Sports Center this week as two more Alaska opponents come to town.

The Fairbanks Ice Dogs will visit Forest Lake on Friday, September 18 at 7:00 PM before the Mallards take on the Anchorage Wolverines on Saturday, September 19 at 7:00 PM.

After opening the season with a sweep, Minnesota will look to keep rolling, protect home ice and continue building momentum early in the season.

The first weekend set the tone.

Now, it’s time to keep it going.

Friday, September 18 | 7:00 PM
Minnesota Mallards vs. Fairbanks Ice Dogs
Forest Lake Sports Center

Saturday, September 19 | 7:00 PM
Minnesota Mallards vs. Anchorage Wolverines
Forest Lake Sports Center

FEAR THE FLOCK.

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