Just hours preceding Minot's 6-0 drubbing of Jamestown on Friday night, the Magicians were still soaking in one of their rarer feats.
Minot downed East Region power Grand Forks Central 3-0 on the road on Thursday, an occurrence that hadn't happened since 1998. But the Magicians weren't about to rest on that laurel.
The Magi did, however, use the momentum from the earlier triumph to run away from the Blue Jays in the West Region game at Maysa Arena.
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Mike Kraft/MDN
Minot High School sophomore forward Zebulen Polkinen takes control of the puck after Jersey Kelly (8) is trapped on the boards between two Jamestown defenders during Saturday’s game at Maysa Arena.
Jersey Kelly, Matt Flom and Carter Bechtold each had a pair of goals for Minot, which outshot Jamestown 38-21 and improved its record to 2-1.
"It really carried over into tonight's game," said Kelly, who also had an assist. "Beating (Central) gave us confidence. It was just a great team effort tonight and it really wasn't about individuals."
Kelly was a force from the onset, scoring two of his club's first three goals as Minot took a 3-0 lead just over a minute into the second period.
And when the Magicians didn't have the puck, its defense played at a chaotic pace that disconcerted the Blue Jays.
Breydan Effertz's effort at goal didn't hurt, either. The sophomore posted his second shutout in as many nights, tallying 21 saves.
"We didn't give up a lot of scoring opportunities," Minot coach Chad Burkhard said. "And when you have a young goalie gaining confidence, that's a good thing."
It wasn't easy road to tread for Jamestown, which downed nearby Bottineau on Thursday night. After the Blue Jays' win, they had to travel to Minot and stay in a hotel.
"We didn't move our feet tonight, and when you don't do that in 51 minutes the score ends up being 6-0, " Jamestown coach Matt Stockert said. "(Minot) wanted the biscuit and for whatever reason we didn't."
Minot plays host to Mandan on Tuesday.