RICHFIELD, Minn. – North Iowa Bulls alumnus Dysen Skinner is on a tear as his final regular season of junior hockey enters its final month. The current Minnesota Magicians netminder usurped the starting spot from Samuel Vyletelka after his trip to the World Junior Championships with Slovakia, has 10 wins over his last 12 decisions, and now has the Magicians on the verge of a Robertson Cup playoff spot.
The Billings, Montana native picked up this week’s Bauer Hockey NAHL Midwest Division Star of the Week award, helping the Magicians extend their run to seven games with at least one point in the standings. All three decisions were wins this past weekend, starting with a shutout victory and 24 saves in Friday’s 4-0 win at the St. Cloud Blizzard. Minnesota won Saturday’s game as well, 7-3, behind 26 saves from Skinner.
Sunday saw perhaps his best performance of the weekend, with a season-high 42 saves in a 3-2 win over the Chippewa Steel. Chippewa itself is in a playoff battle, as they look to hold off Kenai River and former North Iowa assistant Kevin Murdock for home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Skinner led the Bulls to the Fraser Cup semifinals in his rookie season of junior hockey, finishing with a 23-9-2 record between the regular season and the postseason. He went 10-2 this season before getting the call to the NAHL after helping the Bulls to an unbeaten finish at the NA3HL Showcase.
“We are incredibly proud of Dysen’s performance this past week, as well as his play since he arrived to play for the Magicians,” said Magicians head coach A.J. Bucchino. “He has truly embraced his opportunity here and the team believes in him. Dysen is a workhorse in the net and his competitive nature is admirable.”
Skinner has a 12-6-2 record with a 2.85 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage. Minnesota continues its season this weekend with a Friday/Saturday set at home against the Springfield Jr. Blues.