I don’t care if it’s the preseason or a regular season battle, there is always intensity when you play the cream and “ugly” crimson of the Minot Minotauros in NAHL Central Division action. Now if you see a Tauro logo, this means war right now as the two North Dakota combatants face each other in the first round of the NAHL playoffs in a best of five series starting Friday night at the Maysa Arena in Minot. With every game I see being tightly contested in each team’s attempt to hoist the Robertson Cup at the end of the playoffs in Blaine, Mn. on May 14th.
Bobcats Assistant Coach Garrett Roth stated that the team has not been in the playoffs now for two years, and that it feels good to be back in that situation once again. He thinks the rivalry alone will get the team fired up to play inspired hockey. Roth also said that Minot Head Coach Marty Murray has done a great job of building a contending team once again this year. Roth feels that his team can play with any team in the playoffs, and that the makeup of the Bobcats can show the stamina and the heart to be NAHL champions at the end of this season.
Assistant Coach Roth feels that the team will face adversity sometime during their first two games in Minot, and that if they can come away with one victory or even both games, they could end the series on the Bobcats home ice the following weekend in either game 3 or 4. When Coach Roth was told that the Sheriff’s Patrol saw the series going the full five games, he said that both teams have the ability to end the series in three games.
Hold on to your hockey sticks folks, this is going to be a series to remember in my opinion, as only one of these two teams can advance to the next round to pursue their hockey dreams.
