Minot, ND – The Minot Minotauros head to Bismarck this weekend for their final two games before heading out for Christmas break. The weekend gives the Tauros an opportunity to pull away from the pack in the Central Division as the Bobcats sit seven points behind the Tauros for second place heading into the games. Two wins would push the Tauro lead to 11 points while a pair of losses would cut the lead down to three.
The Tauros have posted a 2-1-2 record against the Bobcats this season. The Tauros Captain Jack Westlund leads the team with two goals and three helpers against Bismarck. Carter Korpi, who is tied for the Tauros overall lead with Joseph Harguindeguy and Kaiden Scott with 11 points, has three goals and an assist against his former team. Keenan Rancier, has played some of his best hockey as a Tauro against the Bobcats starting all five games and posting a .933 SV%.
The Bobcats enter the weekend having gone 1-2-2 in the month of December. George Grannis leads Bismarck with 13 points on the year including a team best five points against the Tauros. Austin Schwartz has all three of his goals on the season against the Tauros. Bismarck’s offense overall ranks 15th posting 2.67 goals-per-game. In goal Tommy Aitken and Noah Altman have split time each making eight appearances through Bismarck’s first 15 games. Aitken has posted better numbers overall with a 2.78 GAA and .904 SV% compared to Altman’s 3.49 GAA and .877 GAA. The Bobcats have also added Carter Korpi’s younger brother Cameron Korpi who stopped all 18 shots he saw in his first action last weekend.
The weekend set is still being played under North Dakota Smart Restart guidelines limiting attendance. Fans can watch the game on HockeyTV or listened to Mixlr (online or via the Mixlr free mobile app), Facebook, or GoTauros.com. Both Friday and Saturday’s games start at 7:15 p.m., with the Farmers Union Pregame Show starting at 7:00 p.m.