[Nehkara]

Morris/Benson goalie makes astounding 98 saves

Morris/Benson senior goaltender Tony Bruns is so accustomed to facing insanely high numbers of shots each game that he brushes aside mass amounts of flying pucks as effortlessly as a northwoods outdoorsman swats mosquitoes.

In his four seasons as a starter for the Storm, Bruns routinely has made 40, 50, 60 and even 70-plus stops in a single game. So he didn’t even entertain the notion he was in the midst of what is believed to be a state- and national-record performance on Saturday in a season-opening 12-0 loss to Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato.

On the bus ride home, Bruns, who had mentioned to Morris/Benson coach Jeremiah Day that he had never been so sore after a game, glanced at the scoresheet and saw his save total.

Ninety-eight.

Dalen Jones, a former youth hockey goaltender who referees high school hockey games, was one of the official scorekeepers tallying shots. He counted shots on goal at the Morris/Benson end of the ice in the first and third periods.

“The guy played out of his mind,” Jones said about Bruns. “It was ridiculous. I was getting sore just watching him.”

As for the accuracy of the game’s shot totals, Jones said, “I don’t count it as a shot unless the puck would have gone in the net. There were a lot of rebound saves. It is a legit number.”