No. 19 Warriors Battle No. 2 Minot State; Drop Weekend Series
FREMONT, Neb. – No. 19-ranked Midland University hosted No. 2 Minot State University this weekend at Sidner Ice Arena. The Warriors, who honored members of the Armed Forces during Friday night's opener, fell to the Beavers in the two-game series. Minot State claimed a 6-1 win on Friday and secured a 3-0 victory on Saturday in a tightly contested matchup.
FRIDAY: Minot State 6, Midland 1
Following a series of pregame festivities that included recognizing local veterans, Minot State came out firing. The Beavers scored just 24 seconds into the game to take an early lead. Both defenses held strong for much of the first period, but Minot State added another goal with just over four minutes remaining to take a 2-0 lead into the intermission.
During the first intermission, fans were treated to an exhibition from the Fremont Mites hockey team. Midland then got on the board early in the second period. At the 1:46 mark, Tommy Babb found the back of the net off a feed from Karl Grafelman to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Midway through the period, Minot State capitalized on a power-play opportunity to extend its lead to 3-1 heading into the second intermission. The Beavers held a 24-15 shot advantage through two periods.
In the third, the Warriors remained competitive but were hampered by penalties. Minot State converted on two power-play opportunities before adding a final goal to secure a 6-1 victory.
Liam Tereposky made 29 saves for Midland but was credited with the loss. The Beavers outshot the Warriors 35-25.
SATURDAY: Minot State 3, Midland 0
Midland turned in a strong defensive performance in Saturday night's rematch. The teams were scoreless for the first 10 minutes, but Minot State broke through at the 11:49 mark to take a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
The Warriors faced an onslaught of shots during the second period, as the Beavers fired 31 attempts on goal through 40 minutes of play. Midland's defense, anchored by goalie Nahuel Veyan, held strong, keeping the game within reach. The Warriors managed seven shots on goal in the first two periods but could not find the equalizer.
In the third, Midland's offense began generating more opportunities but was stymied on all seven of its shots. With just under four minutes remaining, offsetting minor penalties were called, followed by a Midland hooking penalty that gave Minot State a four-on-three power play. The Beavers scored one minute into the man advantage and added another goal in the final moments to seal the 3-0 win.
"[I'm] proud of the boys and how hard they fought this weekend against a really good Minot team," said head coach Jan Dam. "We've built this program up quite a bit from our first season. We showed this weekend that we can play with anyone. We were very disciplined, which is how we have to play against good teams. We're a focused team with our eyes on the horizon. We have a big set of games against Colorado next weekend. They're an improved team from the first weekend of the season and will be a good challenge for us."
Midland (8-10-1) will return to Sidner Ice Arena next weekend to host Colorado. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday. Earlier this season, the Warriors defeated the Buffaloes and lost in a shootout during their Labor Day weekend series in Boulder.