By: Ken Oda, minotauroshockey.com
Brookings, SD – The last time the Minotauros came to Brookings it was to open the NAHL schedule in mid-September. The Blizzard upended the Tauros 5-4 in a shootout and 3-2 in overtime that weekend, since then the Tauros have outscored the Blizzard 17-3 in four games all in Minot. This weekend the Tauros return to Brookings looking to continue that dominance as one of the hottest teams in the league going 8-0-2 over the last ten games.
Max Reisinger (8g 20a) has been a force for the Tauros over the last 10 games with three goals and seven assists to go with a +10 rating. Reisinger’s linemate Troy Degler (6g 12a) is right behind him with three goals and six assists and a +9 rating over that same span. Overall the Tauros offense has been a balanced attack leading to 34 goals over the last 10, with every skater on the roster getting at least one point with the exception of defenseman Joe Nathe (4g 13a) who has only played five games since being acquired via trade. Meanwhile in goal Gunner Rivers (11-8-3) and Lucas Murray (14-10-1) have combined to allow just 14 goals on 243 shots for a .942 save percentage.
Griff Jeszka (12g 23a) leads the Blizzard with 35 points but has yet to get a point against the Tauros. Brookings’ second leading scorer Kane Durment (13g 19a) leads the Blizzard against Minot with one goal and five assists. Jacob Gwillim (6-7-5) has played the majority of Brookings’ games since he was acquired from the Metro Jets of the NA3HL.
After this weekend the Tauros will have just three road games remaining; next Friday at Bismarck and the season’s final weekend back in Brookings. In between, the Tauros have an eight game homestand from March 8th, to April 2nd. The Tauros “magic number” of Tauros’ wins and Brookings’ losses now sits at seven to clinch a playoff spot, a weekend sweep by the Tauros would cut it to three. Puck drop for both games this weekend is at 7:30 p.m., with the Planet Pizza Pre-Game Show starting at 7:15 on Fasthockey.com and prostyleproduction.com.