MINOT, N.D. – The Bruins pulled within one goal with less than a minute to play, but the comeback fell just short as Minot earned the weekend sweep with a 3-2 win.
For the second straight night, the Bruins surrendered the first goal, this time it was the first of the season for Minot defenseman Connor McGinnis. Moving the puck back and forth from point to point, McGinnis put a fluttering shot on goal which fooled netminder Brett Miller and hopped over his shoulder to give Minot their first lead of the night, 1-0. Later in the first, Che Landikusic would do what the Bruins seemingly do best, score late in a period, when he tallied his fourth goal of the season. The goal for Landikusic is his second in three games and came with only 1:16 left on the clock in the first period.
In the second, Minot took their second lead of the night when Kevin Ness netted his second goal in as many games, his fourth of the season. It was a mad scramble in front of the net with Ness coming away with the puck and poking it home for Minot who led 2-1 heading into the lockerrooms after two.
To start the third period, the Bruins came out on fire but couldn’t solve ‘Tauros goaltender Ben Garrity who stood strong in net. With time dwindling down, Minot added an insurance goal when Cole O’Connell scored his second of the season on a 2-on-1. Just when you thought the Bruins were down and out for the count, they came roaring back in the final minute. Lane Krenzen blasted a shot from the point which Andy Willis was able to redirect past Garrity, pulling the Bruins within one at 3-2 with only 55.6 seconds left to go in the game. Despite pulling Miller, the Bruins couldn’t muster up any more miracle goals and fell to the Minotauros by a final score of 3-2.
Brett Miller stood tall stopping 35 of 38 Minotauros shots while Ben Garrity handled 33 of 35 from the Bruins. With the loss, the Bruins slide to 21-12-04, just three points ahead of the Minotauros who sit in third place in the division with a record of 21-16-1-0 after the win.
Next up for the Bruins, they hit the road to take on a red-hot Aberdeen Wings team who keep pushing their consecutive win-total. After back-to-back games against the Wings, the Bruins will play a home-and-home series with the Magicians. The black-and-gold return to Riverside on Saturday, March 2 for the annual Paint the Rink Pink Game. Tickets for that game are on sale now at all the Bruins ticket vendors including Games People Play, Hy-Vee, Holiday Inn, and Jim’s Marketplace.
