by: Ken Oda, minotauroshockey.com
Austin, MN – Even though the Minotauros won a thrilling come from behind victory on Friday night, the final score was far from the first thing on the players’ minds after the game. As soon the Tauros were off the ice, their thoughts turned to their captain, Tim Donohue, who left the ice on a stretcher in the middle of the second period.
The Tauro captain seemed to have a target on his back throughout the night. In the first period well after the linesman’s whistle signaled the Tauros were offside Michael Bond hit Donohue along the boards. While the high and late hit did not result in a penalty, Scott Dornbrock doled out justice for his captain dropping the gloves with Bond. The fight came just 45 seconds after Josh Bretner gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead with point shot that beat Tyler Parks high.
Then with the Tauros on the power play in the second, Donohue took a late hack at the puck after Nicholas Lehr had it covered. Chris Fischer and Travis Maxwell both immediately grabbed Donohue from behind. Fischer was pulled off by a Tauro and Maxwell and Donohue traded blows. On the way to the ice Donohue’s head hit the dasher, and required extensive medical attention on the ice. Donohue, was eventually taken to the hospital and Maxwell was assessed 20 minutes of penalty time including a 10 minute aggressor game misconduct. Chris Tok was also given an abuse of officials minor during the stoppage.
Play resumed after a long delay with the Tauros on a four-on-three power play. Cody Dixon scored a shorthanded tally during the four-on-three to push the Bruins lead to 2-0. Jadin Martin broke through for the Tauros after the slashing penalty assessed to Donohue expired and the Tauros were on a five-on-three advantage.
Jake McCann scored the loan goal of the third period when he tucked home the rebound of a Dornbrock shot from the point. The game remained scoreless for the remainder of the third and overtime sending the game to a shootout. Mason Morelli was the first shooter and he gave the Tauros a 1-0 lead when he cut across the top of the crease and tucked the puck behind Lehr. After Tyler Parks shutout the first four shooters for the Bruins, Steven Sherman took the ice with a chance to win it for the Tauros. Sherman came down the ice with speed and picked a corner on Lehr beating him high to the glove side giving the Tauros a 3-2 win.
Next Up: The Tauros head to Onalaska, WI, to take on the Coulee Region Chill. The Chill then come to the Maysa Arena for a pair of games next weekend. If the Tauros are able to sweep the three games with the Chill the Tauros would clinch the first playoff birth in franchise history. The Tauros are 4-1-0 against the Chill on the season, outscoring them 17-8 in the five meetings. Jadin Martin leads the way for the Tauros with three goals and four assists against the fifth place Chill. The game starts at 7:00 p.m. and can be seen on www.fasthockey.com with Ken Oda on the call by clicking the “away” button.