AUSTIN, MN – The win streak over Division Rival Minot has now reached five games, as the Bruins bested the Minotauros 5-3 on Friday night at Riverside Arena.
Friday night marked the fifth meeting of the season against Minot, and the Bruins looked to extend their lead in the Central Division. It did not take very long for the Bruins to jump out in front, as Walter Zacher would score his first of the night just a minute and twenty-eight seconds into the game to give Austin the early 1-0 lead. Ashton Bynum would collect his first assist on the year and Jack Malinski would get his 16th on the goal from Zacher. Minot would answer back at the 8:45 mark of the period, as Trevor Stachowiak would beat Ethan Robertson on a clean shot to pick up his 5th goal of the year while on the Power Play. The leading rookie for the Bruins Jimmy Goffredo would give the Bruins back the lead, a little under two minutes later as he would pick up his 7th goal of the year. This goal came on the Chad Thomas Thrivent Financial Power Play to make it a then, 2-1 lead for Austin. Zacher would get his second of the period, and of the night at the 14:41 mark on another Power Play goal for the Bruins to extend the lead to 3-1. That would be the last shot Minot goalie Cam Milewski would see as he would be pulled in favor of Dane Couture soon after.
American International College commit Hunter Longhi would pull Minot back within a goal at the 7:21 mark of the 2nd period on another Power Play goal for the Minotauros with the lone assist being credited to Colby Joseph. Late in the second, the Bruins would yet again find themselves on the Chad Thomas Thrivent Financial Power Play as Zacher would rip a shot past the glove hand of Couture to pick up his 3rd goal of the night and complete the hat trick. For Zacher, that goal was his team-leading 13th of the season and gave the Bruins the 4-2 lead.
Just fifty-eight seconds into the third period, Josh Giuliani would sneak a shot past Couture to give the Bruins a then 5-2 lead. In the least two minutes of the game, Minot would make a push, as Colby Joseph would score the third goal of the night for the Minotauros. All goals for Minot would come on the Power Play but that wouldn’t be enough as the Bruins would hold them and come away with a 5-3 win. Ethan Robertson would stop 22 of the 25 shots he would face to pick up his 9th win of the season.
The Bruins look to complete the weekend sweep of Minot tomorrow night with Puck drop set for 7:05 PM CST.
