The Stuart Stefan era is underway for the Huntsville Havoc with opening weekend sweep

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - Huntsville Havoc began their 2023-24 season over the weekend under new head coach Stuart Stefan.

Vibes so far are good on the ice as the Havoc secured victories on the road in their first match over the Birmingham Bulls and their second match over the Evansville Thunderbolts.

Saturday night was a packed arena against the Thunderbolts at the Ford Center, as the Havoc maintained a thrilling 2-1 win. The first two periods of the game were scoreless, with both goaltenders protecting their respective nets.

The game shifted in the third period when Thunderbolts’ Bair Gendunov scored the first goal of the game. However, that didn’t stop the Havoc from quickly responding with a goal of their own from Havoc’s Doug Elgstam hitting the puck straight into the back of the net. Another score was secured for the Havoc as Jake Fuss notched the puck into the net making that his first professional goal.

The game ended with Huntsville outscoring Evansville 19-18 and getting a well-fought win.

On Friday, marked the first match-up of the season against the Bulls which ended in a 2-1 win. In a competitive match at the Pelham Civic Complex, the Havoc wasted no time in showing their preparation by solidifying much-needed power plays.

Havoc’s Jamie Bucell sealed the first score of the game with an assist from Cole Reginato and Brendan Dowler in a mere 25 seconds on the ice in the first period. The Bulls slowly responded back in the second period after Jeff Solow hit the puck to the back of the net with an assist from Carson Rose and Drake Glover.

The third period is when Havoc’s Robbie Fisher really brought it all home with a beautiful power-play goal after an assist from Alex Kielczewski and Bucell.

A close competition worked out in Havoc’s favor following a strong guard by goaltender Matt Petizian and the Bulls’ 44 shots with Petizian able to make 43 saves. This helped secure the victory for the Havoc in a showstopping performance.

Both games were a solid start to the Stuart Stefan era for the Havoc. Stefan got the new title back in May. He previously was the assistant coach for the Havoc and even played for the team from 2011 to 2018.

Don’t miss out on Havoc’s season opener on Oct. 27 against Pensacola at Propst Arena at 7 p.m. For more information on tickets and more, click here.

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