Minotauros’ Long Haul Begins Bulls’ Season-Long Homestand

Oct 13, 2022

 

MINOT
MINOTAUROS

(5-4-0-0, 10 pts)

ROSTER  |  STATS

October 14, 2022 – 7:10 p.m.
October 15, 2022 – 7:10 p.m.

Mason City Arena
Mason City, Iowa

NORTH IOWA
BULLS

(8-2-0-0, 16 pts)

ROSTER  |  STATS

MAP TO ARENA  | WATCH ($)  |  LISTEN (FREE)
FRIDAY: TICKETS  |  LIVE STATS  |  MEDIA NOTES
SATURDAY: TICKETS  |  LIVE STATS  |  MEDIA NOTES
 

IN A NUTSHELL: The Bulls settle in for a lengthy homestand, beginning with two games against the Minotauros.

ALL-TIME SERIES: North Iowa leads, 6-4-0.

THE SCENE-SETTER: The latest winning streak for the Bulls reached five games with another nailbiter of a victory Saturday in Aberdeen, holding off the Wings for a 4-3 shootout win. Nils Forselius fired home a goal on a long rebound with 4:48 left in the first period, but North Iowa countered with a face-and-fire goal from Simone Dadie at 3:17 of the period and a goal from Justin Mexico at the 11:06 mark of the second. A power play shortly after allowed Alex Gullichson to tie the game with just over eight minutes left in the period. Byron Hartley’s goal with 57 seconds left in the period gave North Iowa the lead going to the break, but with 2:02 left in the third, Nikolai Tishkevich buried a shorthanded chance to send the game to overtime. Hartley and Max Scott handled the scoring in the shootout, while Landry Schmuck’s goal alone was not enough to keep the shootout rolling. Erik Chaffe made 36 saves to remain perfect on the season, winning his fourth decision.

KNOW YOUR FOE:­ Minot is a little more well-rested than some of its competition in the Central Division, playing only Sunday evening last weekend for a 3-1 win over the St. Cloud Norsemen. Hunter Longhi’s two assists highlighted the offense, and the Minotauros racked up 19 shots in the first period alone. This trip marks the team’s first outside of North Dakota since the NAHL Showcase, one of its only two trips to Mason City this year. The upcoming slate will keep the Minotauros back in North Dakota until Veterans’ Day, with only an October 28 matchup with the Bismarck Bobcats taking them away from the Magic City before then. Nick O’Hanisain is off to the hottest start of any ‘Tauros player, with nine points in nine games, including three assists October 1 at Bismarck. Braden Fischer has notched points in four of his first five Minot appearances as well.

THEY’RE A HANDFUL: The shootout victory Saturday in Aberdeen extended the Bulls’ run to five straight wins – that matches North Iowa’s longest winning streak of 2021-22, a run that stretched through the first five appearances of November. A win on Friday would mark the team’s longest winning streak since its final season in the NA3HL, an eight-game run from January 17 to February 12.

ERIK THE GREAT: The shutout streak is well in the rearview mirror for Erik Chaffe, but the winning streak continues. Chaffe is the first goaltender to start his Bulls career with four straight wins since Joe Daninger, who won his first seven decisions in a North Iowa uniform during the 2019-20 season. Chaffe’s 1.56 goals-against average and .945 save percentage both rank sixth in the NAHL heading into the weekend.

SHOOTING SOME “B”-ROLL: Byron Hartley’s goal and assist on Saturday extended his current point streak to six games, North Iowa’s longest so far this season. The Bulls had only one point streak longer than that last season – Chris Carroll had points in 10 straight before going to the New Jersey Titans in mid-November.

HORSESHOES, HAND GRENADES & HOCKEY GAMES: “Close” counts in all of them, and North Iowa has experienced its share of close games again this season. Through 10 games, six have been played to a one-goal finish, with the Bulls’ loss to Janesville also played to a two-goal margin.