ALEXANDRIA — Austin grad John Kirby scored an unassisted goal with 1:45 left in the game to seal the Bruins’ first postseason win in franchise history as Austin hung on to beat Alexandria 4-2 in the first round of the NAHL playoffs on the road Friday.

The Bruins never trailed in the contest and they took the lead for good when Chris Fischer and Colton Kramer each scored in a 20-second span late in the second period.

The Chill (40-16-5 overall) made it a one-goal game when Justin Moody scored with 7:45 left in the game, but that was the last goal they would score.

Austin (37-18-6 overall) now has a 1-0 lead in the five-game series and they will play at Alexandria Saturday at 7:30 p.m. No matter what happens in that game, the Bruins will have a chance to close out the series in Austin next week when they host games three and four at 7 p.m.

Austin goalie Tyler Bruggeman had a big night as he stopped 39 of the 41 shots he faced.

In other NAHL playoff action, Bismarck beat Aberdeen 7-2 in Bismarck.

SCORING SUMMARY

Austin 1 2 1 — 4

Alexandria 1 0 1 — 2

First period

(A) Jeremy Finger (Jake Flynn, Brandon Wahlin) 3:37

(AL) Jordan Kresbach (powerplay) (Dylan Zink) 13:08

Second period

(A) Chris Fischer (powerplay) (Jake Flynn) 16:21

(A) Colton Kramer 16:41

Third period

(AL) Justin Moody (Krebsach, Craig Lindegard) 12:45

(A) John Kirby 18:15

Powerplays: Austin — 1-for-3; Alexandria — 1-for-4

Shots: Austin — 30; Alexandria — 41