Minot Edges Austin Late, Wisconsin Woodsmen Top Rochester in Weekend Action Minot secures a late win over Austin, while Wisconsin pulls away from Rochester in a five goal performance

The Minot Minotauros came away with a 2 to 1 victory over the Austin Bruins on Friday night in Minot, using a late third period goal to secure the win. Meanwhile, the Wisconsin Woodsmen earned a 5 to 3 victory over the Rochester Grizzlies in an offensive battle at the Rochester Recreation Center.

The Minot Minotauros continued their strong start to the season with a 2 to 1 win over the Austin Bruins on Friday night, thanks to Lucca Ori’s game winning goal with just over two minutes remaining in regulation.

Minot struck first on the power play when Mario Fate scored at 14:51 of the opening period, continuing the team’s recent success with the man advantage. Fate’s goal was his third power play tally in two games.

Austin responded just 1:23 later as Hugo Thulin drove across the blue line and toward the net before lifting the puck over Minot goaltender Lukas Hoglind to even the score at one.

The second period belonged to Minot, which outshot Austin 11 to 4. Bruins goaltender Dilans Birkans kept his team in the game, stopping all 11 shots he faced in the period to preserve the tie.

Austin had opportunities to take the lead in the third period with two power play chances, but the Bruins could not capitalize. They finished the night 0 for 4 on the power play.

With time winding down, Briggs Knott set up Ori for the decisive goal, giving the Minotauros the lead with just over two minutes left. Birkans finished with 26 saves on 28 shots, while Hoglind and the Minot defense held on to secure the victory.

The win improved Minot’s record to 10 wins, two losses and 20 points, while Austin fell to 6 wins, five losses, one overtime loss and 12 points.

ROCHESTER, MN. The Wisconsin Woodsmen delivered a strong performance on the road, defeating the Rochester Grizzlies 5 to 3 at the Rochester Recreation Center behind a two goal effort from Parker Holloway and a late scoring surge.

Holloway opened the scoring at 19:12 of the second period with a power play goal assisted by Jack Dahl. He struck again at 12:30, this time shorthanded, giving the Woodsmen two goals in the period and putting Rochester under pressure.

The Grizzlies answered at 18:58 when Jace Jordan found the back of the net, with Konnor Goclan and Conrad Edlund picking up assists to cut the deficit to one.

Wisconsin added some breathing room in the third period when Myles Bible scored at 17:31. Rochester continued to push, and Tai Kontrec brought the Grizzlies closer with a goal at 9:59, assisted by Goclan and Camryn Koch.

The Woodsmen responded with two crucial goals late in the game. Ozbej Muzan scored at 1:25, followed by Jackson Haupt at 0:41, giving Wisconsin control in the closing moments. James Korpi added a late goal for Rochester at 0:26, assisted by James Esposito and Dominic Arndt, but the Grizzlies could not complete the comeback.

Rochester goaltender Jared Lang faced 43 shots and made 40 saves, while Wisconsin’s Nicklas Timm stopped 30 of 33 shots. Holloway’s two goals and the Woodsmen’s timely scoring proved to be the difference in a hard fought road victory.