It took 20 games on the road before the Aberdeen Wings took a loss, but it finally happened on a rare Tuesday matchup in Minot, where the Minotauros skated to a 3-0 win.
Minot’s Ethan Schmunk put the Minotauros on the board at the 9:10 mark in the first period. Even though Aberdeen outshot Minot 13-6, the Minotauros headed into the first break with the 1-0 lead.
The Wings had a scoring opportunity just over halfway into the second period, taking a 5-on-3 advantage after two Minot penalties; however, goalie Carter Clafton turned away each attack the Wings sent his way. After once again outshooting Miniot, this time 12-8, the score remained 1-0 heading into the final 20 minutes.
Minot’s Cade Stubbe came out of the break hard and put the Minotauros up 2-0 just 1:35 into the third. Aberdeen continued to fire shots at Clafton but ultimately found themselves on a five-minute major penalty kill, and Jack Westlund snuck one behind Wings goalie Jake Sibell, giving the Minotauros the 3-0 lead. Aberdeen outshot Minot for the third straight period, 11-8, but couldn’t get on the board when the final buzzer sounded.
Overall, Aberdeen outshot Minot 36-22. Sibell stopped 19 of the 22, while Clafton claimed the shutout, stopping all 36 shots sent his way. Minot went 1-3 on the power play while holding the Wings to 0-5. After playing in 35 games so far this season, Sibell took his very first regulation loss. After already clinching a playoff spot, Aberdeen now sits at 39-3-0-1, claiming 79 points, while Minot improves to 20-18-4-1 and 45 points.
The Wings have a quick turnaround as they head to St. Cloud to take on the Norsemen Friday and Saturday. Fans can watch all away games at Buffalo Wings & Rings in Aberdeen or listen to Jay Kleinknecht via Hub City Radio’s 94.1 The Rock. Puck drops at 7 p.m. Friday.
A fan bus will travel to St. Cloud for the Saturday, April 10 game. The bus will load at the Odde Ice Center at 9:30 a.m. and depart at 10 a.m. Puck drops in St. Cloud at 4 p.m. Saturday and will return home immediately following the game. Contact Megan Rosendahl at mrosendahl@aberdeenwings.com to reserve your spot. Cost is $50, and includes your game ticket.