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Weekend Preview 10/16-10/17 vs. St. Cloud Norsemen After a weekend split with the Austin Bruins, the Minotauros are back at The Maysa this weekend for another home series with the St. Cloud Norsemen. The Tauros swept St. Cloud on Home Opening Weekend two weekends ago and look to continue their winning ways, as they are off to a 7-2-0 start – tied for the best start in franchise history. Minot won 3-2 and 4-0 over St. Cloud in the first matchup this season, and special teams was a big reason why. The Tauros’ power play accounted for all three goals in the first matchup, and their perfect 4-for-4 penalty kill in the second game led the way to a shutout victory. St. Cloud still continues to struggle on the penalty kill, which sits at the bottom of the NAHL at just 60.5%, meaning that around two of every five power plays for opposing teams are successful. The Tauros’ power play remains one of the best in the NAHL at 25% (currently tied for 4th). Flip sides and the Tauros’ penalty kill took a hit against Austin with the Bruins scoring all three of their goals on Friday on the man-advantage. Additionally, St. Cloud is coming off a weekend that vaulted their power play from the doldrums of the NAHL (around just 7%) all the way to 12th in the league at 21.7%. Matty Tardi leads the offensive charge for St. Cloud with 5 goals (4 PPG) and 5 assists. He scored a natural hat trick in the 3rd period last Friday against Aberdeen with two coming on the power play. On Saturday, the Norsemen stunned the Wings with an 8-5 win in an absolute track meet where they went 5-for-9 on the power play. The Tauros did a good job killing penalties the last time St. Cloud was in town, but even in just two weeks’ time, the Norsemen have found some mojo on special teams, which should put Minot on high alert. A key for the Tauros this weekend is to stay out of the box so as to not fuel the already burning fire of the Norsemen power play. Physicality is also a big key in this matchup. The Bruins gave some runs to the Tauros last weekend, but the response to a physical weekend should be an equally physical play. St. Cloud played a lot in their defensive zone the last time they were in Minot, and a strong forecheck sets the tone for the series. Tickets to Tauros vs. Norsemen this weekend are going fast, so get yours at tickets.minotauroshockey.com or on the Tauros Hockey Mobile App. Both games start at 7:35pm CT on Friday and Saturday. Can’t make it to the game? Tune in on NAHL TV or listen live on our Facebook Live Audio Feed.
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