2025 Showcase Recap
Published on September 27, 2025 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Minot Minotauros News Release
Edward Nieman, www.minotauroshockey.com
This week, all 34 teams in the North American Hockey League converged on Blaine, Minnesota, in the 22nd annual NAHL Showcase. The week featured three games for the Tauros as they traveled to Blaine in what marked the first of four weekends on the road for the Men from the Magic City.
The action commenced on Wednesday as Minot took the ice in an afternoon matchup against the Oklahoma Warriors. The Tauros entered the game looking to pick up their first regular-season win following being swept the weekend prior.
The scoring action picked up in the first period when AJ Iwinski found nylon on a shorthanded goal for the Warriors, beating Tauro netminder, Magnus Lopenen, to gain the early one-goal lead.
Assisting on the goal was Mason Wright as the Warriors pulled out to a 1-0 lead with just under 17 minutes to play in the opening period.
The 1-0 lead for Oklahoma would hold up as the horn sounded to signal the end of the first period, with shots on goal even at nine apiece.
The Warriors' penalty that resulted in the shorthanded goal remained the only infraction by either squad through the first 20 minutes of play.
The Warriors would add more midway through the second frame as Mack Blue cashed in on a power play goal, threading one past Loponen to double the lead. Assisting on the goal were Ethan Gonyeau and Jack McClellan, good for their third assists of the season.
Through two periods of play, Oklahoma was hanging onto a two-goal advantage despite getting outshot 23-20 through the first 40 minutes.
The Warriors would add one more in the third en route to a 3-1 victory over the Tauros as Minot dropped game one of the NAHL Showcase.
Oklahoma netminder, Billy Stuski, would pick up his second shutout win of the season as he saved a perfect 27 of 27 shots faced.
Following an off-day on Thursday, the Tauros would pick back up with a matchup against the New Hampshire Mountain Kings from the East Division.
Friday's contest started with New Hampshire finding the back of the net just 12 seconds into game action as Cole Roenick guided one into the net off a misplay from behind the net by Tauro goaltender Devin Rustlie. The goal would be good for Roenick's first of the season.
The final 19:48 minutes of the period would come and go with no additional scoring between the two teams. Through the first 20, the shot totals were tied 8-8.
Nearly midway through the second period, it was Alexander Duhon striking on the power play for the Mountain Kings to double their lead. Duhon's goal would be swept in blocker-side on Rustlie to make it 2-0.
Just under three minutes later, though, it was the Tauros cutting into the lead as Jakub Habla would tip one off a shot from Dominic Pajkic to make it a one-goal game. Pajkic and Caden Lindsey were credited with the assists.
Prior to the period's close, New Hampshire would restore a two-goal lead heading to the locker room as Cael Knutson put one past Rustlie, ringing it off the left post to make it 3-1.
After two periods of play, Minot held a slim shot advantage, 20-19.
The third period would feature more scoring both ways as Mario Fate would hit the back of the net with 9:02 remaining for the Tauros as he was able to clean up his own rebound on a power play to hammer one home.
That power-play goal would pull the Tauros within one.
New Hampshire would ice the game, though on a power play goal with just over three minutes remaining, as Simmer put one into the net for his first of the year to make it a 4-2 game.
The win for New Hampshire would mark their third win of the season. In the winning effort was William Lubimov, saving 24 of 26 shots faced as New Hampshire would hand the Tauros their fourth loss of the season.
To close out the Showcase, it was a Saturday matinee matchup against the Anchorage Wolverines of the Midwest Division.
Saturday's game would bring a back-and-forth affair through the first 20 minutes of play.
Saturday's scoring started in a familiar fashion as the Tauros fell behind by a goal within the first minute of play. It was Bowen Burke finding twine off a backdoor feed from Andrew Karkoc to give the Wolverines an early goal advantage.
The Tauros would respond swiftly, just under eight minutes later, and Artem Prima rocketed one past Wolverines' netminder, Liam Ernst, from the right side to pull the game even at aces. Assisting on the goal was Philip Wiklund.
With just over five minutes remaining in the period, second-year Tauro, Braeden Jockims, had the puck thrown off his skate into the back of the net on the power play to give the Tauros their first lead of the afternoon.
That score would stand as both teams headed to the locker room. Shots on goal in the period were dominated by the Tauros offense as they led that department 15-2 at the break.
With 14:44 left to go in the second period, Jockims would net his second of the night and the lone goal of the period, doubling the Tauro lead, making it 3-1. The goal would be good for the third power play marker of the game as Minot would carry a two-goal lead into the break.
Anchorage would strike on a power-play to open up the third period scoring as Rylen Bydal would chop at a bouncing puck that would make its way over Tauro goalie Brian Cooke's shoulder to make it a one-goal game again.
Restoring the two-goal lead later was Artem Prima on his second of the night, burying one past Ernst from in the slot off a feed from behind the net by Brady Zugec for Minot's fourth of the night, making it 4-2.
Prima's linemate, Zugec, would get in on the scoring just three minutes later as he notched his first of the season on an assist from Wiklund to make it 5-2 in favor of the Cream and Cardinal.
In the waning moments of the final period of regulation, Rylen Bydel would net one with just under four minutes remaining in the third on an unassisted goal to claw back within two.
That goal, however, would prove to be too little too late as the Tauros added a pair of goals courtesy of Michael Solominsky and Ty James to cap off an emphatic 7-3 victory over the Anchorage Wolverines to close out the Showcase schedule.
The win marked Minot's first regular-season win of the 2025-26 campaign and the first regular-season win under first-year head coach Tyler Ebner. Following the win, the Tauros' record moves to 1-3-1.
The Tauros will hit the road again next week to take on Central Division foe, Watertown Shamrocks, on both Friday and Saturday. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 PM both nights.
Those games will be streamed live on NATV with a free live audio broadcast available on the Tauros YouTube, Facebook, and Mixlr pages.
The Tauros will return home again on October 24th & 25th to square off against the Aberdeen Wings. Tickets for that series and all home series can be purchased at the Tauros' ticketing site.
North American Hockey League Stories from September 27, 2025
- Hat Tricks Drop Showcase Finale in Shootout to Mallards - Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks
- 2025 Showcase Recap - Minot Minotauros
- Warriors Finish Strong, End Showcase with 2-1 Record - Oklahoma Warriors
- Wings Take First Loss of the Regular Season against USNTDP - Aberdeen Wings
- Norsemen Battle Springfield to Close out Showcase - St. Cloud Norsemen
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