Cole Smith had four goals and one assist to lead the Brainerd Warriors to a 7-5 victory over the Buffalo Bison.

Smith notched his first tally 7:54 into the first period. He then added goals at 2:36 into the second, at 15:49 into the second, and at 12:53 into the third.

Brainerd kept Buffalo's goalie busy throughout the game, and Tim Harkness made 29 saves on 36 shots. The Warriors found the back of the net more times than it usually has this season. Brainerd has scored at the pace of 4.0 goals per game during the current campaign.

Brainerd additionally got points from Logan Rivard, who also registered one goal and three assists, Christopher Pohlkamp, who also tallied one goal and two assists, and Jacob Ellingson, who also racked up one goal and three assists. In addition, Brainerd received assists from Griffin Campbell, who had one.

The Bison's goal total was higher than their season average. Buffalo averages 2.7 goals per game.

The Bison were helped by Justin Laven, who had one goal. Laven scored on the power play 1:46 into the second period to make the score 3-1 Buffalo. A holding penalty on Ellingson had put Buffalo on the power play. Nick Jensen also scored for Buffalo. Other players who recorded assists for Buffalo were Jake Michalko, Jake Ramsey, Jack Patnode, and Reed Morehouse, who contributed one a piece.

The Warriors' Kyle Helmberger stopped 16 shots out of the 21 that he faced. Brainerd incurred eight minutes in penalty time with four minors. The Bison totaled 13 minutes in penalty time with four minors and one major and went 1-for-3 on the power play.