by: Sean Williams, gotauros.com,
Minot, N.D. – The month of November has been extremely kind to the Minotauros, as the team looks to continue playing great hockey. With an 8-1-1 record over their last 10 games, the Tauros are not only putting together the strongest stretch in the Central Division, but also the run they are on is one of the best in the NAHL. Only two teams, the Maine Nordiques (8-2-0) and the Lone Star Brahmas (8-2-0) bring forth comparable records over the last 10 games.
To begin the month, the Tauros swept the Aberdeen Wings on the road, then followed that up with a sweep of the Austin Bruins at the Maysa Arena last weekend. The four-game win streak also bodes well for the Minotauros from a league perspective. Among all teams in the NAHL, only the Johnstown Tomahawks are on a win streak of the same amount of games. Following the back-to-back sweeps, the Tauros have cemented themselves in first place in the Central Division, where they currently stand with 27 points and a record of 13-3-1.
Hoping to keep the streak alive with another home matchup, the Tauros will welcome the North Iowa Bulls to the Maysa Arena this weekend, with puck drop scheduled for 7:35 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. If history repeats itself, it should be another fun weekend of hockey at the Pepsi Rink. Earlier this season, the Tauros swept the Bulls on the road with a 4-0 win on Friday night and a 4-1 win on Saturday night.
Although North Iowa enters the series on a two-game skid, the team has been seeing improvements as of late and they own a 4-6-0 record over their last 10 games. After being shutout for three games in a row from Sept. 29-Oct. 13, the Bulls have managed to find more consistency in the offensive zone, as they are averaging 2.6 goals per game since then.
Justin Mexico (12 points on 7 goals, 5 assists), Jordan Newpower (9 points on 5 goals, 4 assists) and Carter Theissen (8 points on 1 goal, 7 assists) have helped lead the charge for North Iowa, as they continue aiming to move up from sixth place in the Central Division. Veteran leadership has helped the Tauros as of late, with Colby Woogk having a three-point weekend (2 goals, 1 assist), Trevor Stachowiak notching two goals and Jack O’Hanisain scoring his team leading 9th goal of the season against Austin last weekend.
Woogk’s performance against Austin earned him the NAHL Central Division Star of the Week award, being the first Minot defenseman to earn the honor in 2023. Woogk had a goal on Friday night, then followed that up with a goal and an assist on Saturday night and played an important role in helping Minot secure first place in the Central Division with the sweep.
On the other end of the ice, goaltending continues to be a huge benefit to the Tauros and gives them a good opportunity to win each time they take the ice. Over the last 10 games, the Tauros are allowing only 1.8 goals per game. In the sweep against Austin last weekend, Brady James held the Bruins to a total of three goals in two games, which is tied for the least amount the Bruins have scored in a series this year. James stopped 51 of 54 shots he faced over the weekend.
The Tauros will be honoring Minot High’s football and chearleading teams for their state championships on Friday night. Tickets for both games are available, in the Tauros Hockey Mobile App, through the “Tickets” tab atop this page or by visiting the Tauros ticketing site tickets.minotauroshockey.com.