The Aberdeen Wings scored just over a minute into Saturday’s contest against the Minot Minotauros, but tough goaltending prevented them from scoring again as Minot took the win to split the weekend.
After good zone presence to start the game and two quick shots, the third one found the back of the net for Aberdeen. Jackson Anderson picked up a loose puck between the circles and skated in, taking a shot that was saved, but Michael Casey was there to drive the rebound home at the 1:16 mark. It was his first goal as an Aberdeen Wing, ninth overall on the season, while Jackson Anderson picked up his 14th assist on the year.
Each team killed two penalties in the first and were dead even in shots on goal with 17 apiece, and the Wings took the one-goal lead into the first break.
But Minot got on the board at the 10:10 mark in the second when Jack O’Hanisain scored for the Minotauros. Each team killed off another penalty and Minot outshot the Wings 12-8, and the game was tied heading into the final period.
But the Minotauros got the go-ahead when Joe Blackley scored on the power play at the 7:44 mark. And despite a late power play opportunity, the Wings couldn’t manage to score again, taking the 2-1 loss on home ice.
Overall, the Wings went 0-4 with the man advantage while Minot went 1-4. Both teams took 36 shots on goal, while goaltender Cole Moore denied 34 of the shots he faced.
After the weekend split, the two teams are once again tied for second place in the Central Division standings, each holding 44 points after 40 games played. And they’ll meet again next weekend in Minot for another bout to see if one team can sneak ahead of the other in the standings.
Fans can watch the game using their HockeyTV account, or catch the action live at Buffalo Wings & Rings, the official home for all Wings away games. The game’s audio will be broadcast via Hub City Radio’s 94.1 The Rock.