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NAHL Minot Minotauros

War in Watford Preview

September 5, 2024 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Minot Minotauros News Release


On Friday night, one of the NAHL's premiere rivalries will be renewed between the Tauros and their North Dakota rival, the Bismarck Bobcats, in the 5th annual War in Watford preseason series. The series will feature a rematch of the division's Central Cup for the first time in the event's history.

Both teams will take the ice at the Rough Rider Center in Watford City on Friday and Saturday at 7 PM, allowing fans to see both rivals square off before the regular season commences.

It's only been a handful of months since the last time the two in-state rivals saw each other, but this weekend's meeting will feature some new faces on and off the ice.

The Tauros will bring ten returning players back from last year's Central Cup-winning team to Watford while adding a healthy number of new faces on both sides of the puck including three new goaltenders added to the roster.

For the Bobcats, Garrett Roth will take over as head coach. He returns to Bismarck following a head-coaching tenure with the Oklahoma Warriors (formerly known as the Wichita Warriors), where he won a Robertson Cup title in the 2022-23 season.

For much of the 2023-24 season, both North Dakota rivals saw consistent success, culminating in that Central Cup showdown. The Tauros finished the regular season with a 44-14-1-1 record. At the same time, the Bobcats only trailed them by six points, finishing with a 40-16-1-3 record.

Despite both teams meeting in last year's playoffs, Tauros' fourth-year head coach, Cody Campbell, says the approach hasn't changed much for the matchup against Bismarck.

Campbell said, "It doesn't add anything for me really. It's a new team, there's 21 guys that weren't a part of that Central Cup team, so it's a new year." He continued by saying, "It's a new group and it's going to present new challenges and different challenges and everything else, but this team is going to forge its own path."

When talking about the event itself, Campbell said, "It's really neat to go to a different town where it's the only time we play there that year. They don't have a team in the league but you see how the hockey community there comes out and embraces us and Bismarck. It's cool to see our fans travel down there to support us. It's a really neat event for that community."

The returning players for the Tauros who played last year in Watford echoed much of that same sentiment.

Tauros returning forward, John Small, said, "It's a pretty fun environment. There's a lot of people there for being at a different location than where we normally play. A lot of our fans come out as well as the Bismarck fans. It's pretty intense hockey. It's a good first step for us to see where we're at. We will be just trying to get a win like usual."

For Campbell, the War in Watford serves as a trip down memory lane as his tenure with the Tauros started in Watford City.

Campbell explained, "On a personal level, my first day on the job here was in Watford City. I met the team there for that game. So it's cool to go back to where my journey with the Tauros started. It's cool to go back there and remember what that day was like and how this started."

This year's series will feature an 80s and 90s theme, with the Tauros wearing specialty 90s-themed jerseys on both nights. Bismarck will also tout specialty jerseys as they will represent the 80s era. Additionally, the Rough Rider Center will play 80s and 90s music throughout the weekend.

Tickets for the War in Watford are available and can be purchased at this link. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 PM on Friday and Saturday. On September 14th & 15th the Tauros will take on the St. Cloud Norsemen at 7:35 PM to close out the preseason at home. Tickets for those games will be available at the door for $5.

Edward Nieman, www.minotauroshockey.com

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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