By Sean Williams, www.minotauroshockey.com
Minot, N.D. – Having some time off did not slow down the Minot Minotauros, who swept the Austin Bruins last weekend to extend their winning streak to eight games. Following the sweep, the Tauros enter the weekend still in first place in the Central Division, where they check in with 83 points and a record of 41-12-1 in 54 games played. They welcome the St. Cloud Norsemen, who currently sit in fifth in the Central with a record of 22-19-6 and 57 points on the year, as they keep fighting to secure a playoff spot.
The season series between these divisional foes has been very kind to Minot, as they own an 8-2-0 record against St. Cloud and hope to continue that success this weekend. Both teams are bringing a streak to the matchup, as the Tauros are riding the previously mention eight-game winning streak and the Norsemen enter the weekend having lost three in a row.
During the winning streak, the Tauros are scoring in bunches by averaging 4.12 goals per game and have shut down opponents by only allowing 0.87 goals per game. The team has allowed one goal or less in seven of those games, which includes two shutouts. Even though the Norsemen have lost three straight, it’s not for lack of effort. During their losing streak, the team is averaging an even three goals per game. However, they are allowing five goals per game with their last three contests coming against the second place Bismarck Bobcats.
From a regular season standpoint, the Taurus have scored 189 goals and allowed 106, while the Norsemen have scored 149 and allowed 155 in 54 games. Minot holds the edge in special teams as well where they have scored 48 power-play goals for a 20% power-play conversion. The team has also killed off a remarkable 89.74% of their penalties. St. Cloud has scored 28 power-play goals for a 13.40% power-play conversion. They have done better on the penalty kill, where they have killed off 85.54% of their penalties.
Not only will this be the last time these two teams meet in the regular season, this weekend also marks the final regular season home series for the Minotauros. Puck drop between the Tauros and Norsemen is scheduled for 7:35 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday night at the Pepsi Rink. It is also Fan Appreciation Weekend next Friday and Saturday. There will be beer specials all weekend long, free DASH raffles during both games, and an ice cream giveaway from Pride Dairy to the first 240 fans on Saturday night. Tickets for both games as well as the regular season final against Bismarck on April 13th, and Games 1 and 2 of the Robertson Cup Playoffs are available through the “Tickets” tab atop this page or by visiting tickets.minotauroshockey.com.