
Weekend Recap October 3-4
Published on October 4, 2025 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Minot Minotauros News Release
With the Showcase in the rear view mirror, Central Division play resumed this past weekend for the Tauros as they made the trip to Watertown, South Dakota, to take on the Shamrocks for the first time this season.
Last year against the Shamrocks, the Tauros found a wealth of success, finishing the season with a combined 7-1 record.
Friday night proved to be a continuation of that success as Minot looked to build on a 7-3 victory over the Anchorage Wolverines the previous Saturday as they closed out their Showcase schedule.
The weekend opener began with the Tauros surrendering a goal within the first minute.
Second-year Shamrock Carter Sproule beat Tauro netminder Magnus Loponen glove-side, giving Watertown an early advantage.
The goal for Sproule, which was his second of the year, came just 46 seconds after the opening puck drop as Erick Comstock and Zach Boren were credited with assists.
Nearly ten minutes later, however, the Tauros would respond.
Forward Davin Nichols would find nylon as he danced through traffic in front of the Shamrock net to pull things even at aces on his first goal of the season. Ivan Sidorov and Michael Solominsky were both in on the assists.
The seesawing affair would continue on into the back half of the period as Shamrock point-leader Junior Podein would swing the game back into Watertown's favor, firing one into the back of the net on a backhanded jam play from close quarters for his fourth goal in his sixth game played.
With 3:57 remaining in the opening stanza, it was Mario Fate finding a home for the puck after chaos ensued in front of the Shamrocks' goaltender, Mason Gudridge, off an odd-man rush. Fate hammered home a loose puck to tie things up as the game arrived at the first intermission.
Through 20 minutes of play, it was the Tauros holding a slight shots advantage, 13-12.
The first period offered a clean frame of hockey with no penalties called either way.
The action would pick back up five minutes into the second period as Marlen Edwards rocketed one past Gudridge on the extra-man advantage, notching the Tauros' ninth power-play goal of the season as Minot took their first lead of the game.
The Shamrocks would find a response on a power play of their own as Sproule touched one home past Loponen to draw the game back even.
The second period would conclude with Watertown outshooting Minot 10-9 as both teams hit the locker rooms with total shots even at 22 apiece.
After a back-and-forth start to the third period, it was Braeden Jockims breaking the scoring tie as he exploded down the ice on a shorthanded breakaway and backhanded one past Gudridge to give the Tauros the 4-3 lead with just over six minutes remaining in regulation.
Just over two minutes later, it was Philip Wiklund putting the icing on the win as he redirected a puck into the back of the net through traffic in the slot to give the Tauros a two-goal lead with under four to play.
Despite being outshot 32-19, the Tauros would hang on for their second straight win, defeating the Shamrocks 5-3 inside a full Prairie Lakes Ice Arena to take the first game of the season series.
Magnus Loponen would get the win in net, his first as a Tauro, stopping 29 of 32 shots faced.
Saturday night marked the first opportunity of the season for the Tauros to secure a weekend sweep as they wrapped up the weekend in South Dakota.
Artem Prima was the one to get the scoring started in the weekend finale as he fired a shot in from along the goal line to put the Tauros up a score on his fourth of the season. His goal came just under six minutes into the first period as the Tauros seized the early momentum.
With 29 seconds remaining in the period, it was Sproule once again finding twine as his third goal of the weekend would bring the score even at 1-1 heading into the first intermission.
Shots on net after the first frame of the contest were to the Shamrocks' advantage, 11-4. Through the first period of play, Minot goaltender Devin Rustlie was able to pad away 10 of the 11 shots faced in what marked his third start as a Tauro.
The second period would only feature one goal courtesy of Tauro forward Jakub Habla, as he was able to find the top corner and bury one into the back of the net for the go-ahead goal going into the second break.
Despite a handful of penalties each way in the second period, shots on net were only separated by one as the Shamrocks held the advantage 15-14 in that department.
Just under two minutes into the third period, it was Carter Sproule once again adding his name to the scoresheet as he was able to cash in on a Shamrock power-play with his fourth goal on the weekend, drawing the contest back even at deuces.
Both teams would continue to trade blows through the final period of regulation, but it wouldn't be enough as Sproule's goal would stand as the only marker of the period.
After a full 60 minutes of play, the Tauros would head to an overtime session for the second time this season.
The 3-on-3 overtime period would provide no resolution as neither team was able to convert, with both goaltenders holding their own. A combined seven shots were thrown on net by both teams, none of which broke through.
In the shootout, it was the Shamrocks who came out on top, netting two goals and recording two stops. The winning save would be credited to Jack Kavetsky as he notched his first win in his first career start for the Shamrocks.
Kavetsky finished the night, saving 25 of 27 shots faced while also recording an assist in the win.
With the loss, the Tauros' record drops to 2-3-2 on the season. Up next, the Tauros will travel back down to the state of South Dakota to take on the Aberdeen Wings next weekend at the Odde Ice Center.
Those games and all Tauros' games will be broadcast on NAHLTV.com along with a free live audio broadcast available on the Tauros' YouTube, Facebook, and Mixlr pages.
The Tauros will return home next on October 24th & 25th to square off against the Aberdeen Wings at the Maysa Arena. Tickets for those games and all Tauros home games can be purchased on the Tauros online ticketing site.
Edward Nieman, www.minotauroshockey.com
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