By: Ken Oda, minotauroshockey.com
Minot, ND – The Minotauros will open their sixth season of play at the 14th annual NAHL Showcase Tournament at the Schwan Super Rink in Blaine, MN. All 24 NAHL clubs will converge on the Super Rink which is attended by scouts from all levels of the hockey world. Last season over 350 scouts from the NHL, NCAA, and other junior leagues attended the event.
The Tauros will open the event at 3:30 p.m. on September 21st against the Kenai River Brown Bears. The Bears will be eager to come out and prove that they are not last year’s last place team that went 4-51-5 on the season.
The next evening the Tauros will take on the second place finishers from the South Division the Lone Star Brahmas. The Brahmas 87 points and 39-12-9 record were good for third best in the NAHL but the Brahmas were upset in the opening round by the third seed Topeka Roadrunners. It was a fate shared by the Tauros, New Jersey Titans, and the Janesville Jets that saw all four divisions two seeds upset by the third seed.
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights are the opponent on day three of the Showcase, they finished last in the East Division last season with a 22-28-10 record. It will be the first meeting between the Tauros and the Knights who joined the league just last season.
The final day of the Showcase will see the Tauros take on the Fairbanks Ice Dogs. The Dogs enter the 2016-17 season as the defending Robertson Cup champions. Playing their fourth game in as many days for both clubs will be difficult but it is a good opportunity for the Tauros to see how the measure up against an opponent with championship pedigree.
After the Showcase the Tauros will return to the Magic City for their home opener on September 30th against the Aberdeen Wings. Season tickets are available now by on the “Tickets” tab atop this page.