AUSTIN, Minn. - The Austin Bruins have earned nine standings points throughout the last 10 games. They want and need more.

The team has played just 13 games so far this season but is finally starting to find its rhythm, sitting fourth in the NAHL Central Division standings with a 6-7 record.

With a three-game series against the Fairbanks Ice Dogs this week, the team knows the areas it needs to lock in on in order to make some noise in the standings this week.

“I’d say goal scoring is one fo the first things,” Ben Dexheimer said. “We are scoring a lot more goals than we have been and that comes with working hard and having fun.”

Given the small number of games the team has played, Barrett Brooks says the key to finding consistency is with getting everyone up to the same speed.

“We’ve got a lot of new guys this year. I think it’s just having all the vets getting the younger guys under their wings and showing them how we play here in Austin,” he said.

In the meantime, Head Coach Steve Howard is looking at the bigger picture and what needs to be done to get the team to where it wants to be by the end of the season. Howard says February is a perfect time for the team to prove what it’s made of.

“We’re going to have 12 games alone in that month. That’s a lot – that’s a pro schedule. There’s not going to be much practice time and I’m okay with that but once again, we’re trying to advance our systems and get to that second and third stage of where we should be during the season.”

The Bruins will play Fairbanks in Marshall, Minn. On Wednesday. The series then moves to Riverside Arena on Friday and Saturday.