Warriors Dealt Pair of Losses by No. 2 Minot State
MINOT, N.D. – Midland University hit the road one last time in 2023 this weekend as they traveled up to North Dakota to take on No. 2 Minot State University. The Warriors' trip was a little bumpy as they were dealt a pair of losses by the high-ranked Beavers, 7-2 on Thursday and 7-1 on Friday.
THURSDAY: Minot State 7, Midland 2
The Beavers broke through with a pair of goals in the opening five minutes of the first period on Thursday night. MSU outshot Midland 17 to 1 in the period and took a 2-0 lead in the intermission.
In the second, Milan Breczko was quick to get the Warriors on the board. It took just 18 seconds of play before he found the back of the net off a feed from Jared Wisely and Fletcher Chun. The Beavers would counter back with four goals, one via a powerplay, as they controlled the puck.
The final period saw Minot State score at the three-minute mark, taking a commanding 7-1 lead. Matthew McCaw teamed up with Breczko for MU's second goal of the game at the 11:18 mark. That proved to be the final tally in the contest as MSU took the game 7-2 behind a blistering 50 to 12 shot advantage.
For the game, Midland was whistled for three minors while Minot State was able to stay out of the penalty box on its home ice. Liam Tereposky collected 43 saves in the loss.
FRIDAY: Minot State 7, Midland 1
On Friday night, the Beavers were quick to the net with four goals in the opening period. The first came in the opening minute and by the seven-minute mark, it was a 4-0 game.
Coming into the second on the powerplay, Minot State was quick to strike once more. It took just 25 seconds to score before added a second powerplay goal at the 1:08 mark as well. Leading 6-0, they tacked on what would be their final goal at the 9:40 mark of the second.
Midland avoided the shutout as Andrew Larsen netted an unassisted goal just past the midway point, 11:38, of the second. Through two periods of play, the highly-ranked Beavers had a 7-1 lead thanks in part to three powerplay goals.
Unlike the first night of the series, MSU wasn't able to avoid the penalty box. They were called for five minors which led to three powerplay chances for MU. Conversely, the Warriors were issued 13 minors and a 10-minute misconduct which gave the Beavers an even dozen powerplay opportunities.
Liam Tereposky went the distance in goal, collecting 50 saves on the night. His counterpart on the other end of the ice totaled 14 saves.
Midland (9-11-1-0) is not off until the second semester and the New Year. The Warriors, who played all but five contests on the road in the fall, will get plenty of home-cooked meals in 2024 with 9 of their 11 games at Sidner Ice Arena. The first game after the break will be on Friday, January 12 against No. 24 Iowa State (5-3-0-0). Puck drop is slated for 7:30 p.m. in Fremont, Nebraska.