St. Cloud, MN – The Minotauros road show rolls on after a 3-0-1 performance at the NAHL Showcase last week the Minotauros head back to Minnesota to take on the St. Cloud Blizzard. The Blizzard formerly of Brookings, SD, moved to a new home this summer and with their home opener this weekend the Tauros will help them introduce NAHL hockey to an already strong college hockey market.
The Tauros come in off of another strong Showcase going 3-0-1 at the season opening scouting event. Offense came from all four lines and the backend as defenseman Sam Skinner leads the club with a goal and three assists. As expected second year goaltender Ben Garrity was dominant stopping 90 of 96 shots and Sam Evola looked just as strong in his lone start stopping 37 of 39.
For the Blizzard the Showcase was a chance to put a terrible final season in Brookings firmly in the past. Like the Tauros the Blizzard also showed well earning at least a point in all four games going 2-0-2. Former Tauro Ryan Green led the offense with a hat trick against the expansion Maine Nordiques and the assists in the other three games. Former Minnesota Wilderness forward Ben Ward added three goals and an assist as well. While the Blizzard offense ranked fourth in the league posting 3.50 goals per game their defense was middling allowing an 18th ranked 2.75. Their goalie duo of Britt League and Travis Allen combined for just a .899 SV%.
Over the last five seasons the Tauros went 40-11-5 against Brookings, time will tell if the new home energizes the formerly woebegone Blizzard.