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Magi hockey uses diverse attack to topple Dickinson 7-4

Alex Eisen/MDN Magi junior defenseman Logan Braaten celebrates after scoring the first goal of the game against Dickinson on Saturday at Maysa Arena in Minot.

The Minot High School boys hockey team scored a plethera of goals Saturday evening in a 7-4 win over Dickinson. But, even more impressive, six different Magicians put the puck in the net.

“That’s one of the major positives we can take away,” MHS co-coach John Grubb said. “We are starting to see some other kids produce a little bit and that’s something we are excited about because we are going to have to build some depth to be able to compete this year.”

Dickinson (2-2-0) came into Maysa Arena fresh off a 5-3 home win over a previously unbeaten Bismarck Century squad on Friday. The Magi (2-2-0) lost to Century, 6-5, on Thursday, so they knew they weren’t going to get an easy game against Dickinson.

“Dickinson just beat Century last night, so (this win) kind of keeps us in that region race,” Grubb said. “It’s a win we had to have at home.”

The first period was bookended by goals. The Magi struck first 50 seconds into the contest, as junior Logan Braaten scored his first goal of the season.

“We came out flying,” junior forward Jake Viall said. “That makes us a very dynamic team (with six goal scorers) and we have three full lines we can work with.”

Then, with 19.8 seconds left in the opening period, Dickinson sophomore forward Ryan Bren netted his team-high fifth goal of the season off of a face off following a Magi penalty to even the score at 1-1 after one.

Two and a half minutes into the second period, Magi senior forward Easton Bennett put Minot back on top with a power-play goal.

With 10:29 remaining in the middle stanza, Magi junior defenseman Colby Enns found himself in a pocket of space at the top of the right faceoff circle and launched a one-timer that hit off the crossbar and went straight down to extend Minot’s lead, 3-1.

“We are unselfish, moving the puck around and everybody is scoring,” Enns said.

The teams then traded goals twice before reaching the third period, making for six-goal second period.

Dickinson sophomore forward Cody Shepard got things started by knocking in a rebound goal off the end boards while falling to the ice. Minot responded with a quick power play goal just three seconds into the penalty. Junior forward Sam Opozda scoring his first goal of the season after a face off win by Bennett.

With less than three minutes to go in the period, Dickinson freshman Joseph Pavek got the Midgets back within a goal again at 4-3 after the puck got tangled up the referee’s skates which allowed Pavek to collect the puck and weave his way to the front of the net and eventually past Minot goaltender Odin Nelson.

Before Dickinson could even finish celebrating its third goal, the Magi raced down the ice in 19 seconds and got a goal from Viall to put the score at 5-3 after two periods.

Kyler Stenberg made it six different Magi goal scorers to start the third period. Getting checked at the same moment he got his shot off, Stenberg beat Dickinson goaltender Gabe Vaagen from the slot.

The next sequence had everyone scratching their heads and Dickinson head coach Dallas Kuntz screaming from the top of his lungs, as the Midgets scored what looked to be their fourth goal of the game on a cross crease one-timer.

The red lamp shined for a brief moment, but the referees didn’t take notice and the game continued. A couple minutes later without a stoppage of play, Dickinson junior forward Peter Pavek scored on another cross crease pass from the other side of the ice that was accounted for.

“I think the puck went under the net, maybe, and went in,” Grubb said about the non-called goal. “It was just something that got missed and they came back and scored another one. But, in the end, it would have only counted as one goal anyways. That’s some of the adversity you have to deal with to get through the game.”

Stenberg capped the scoring with an empty net goal with 2:18 remaining. The Magi managed to hold off Dickinson’s power play, including a 6-on-3 attack, to win by a score of 7-4.

The Magi committed seven penalties in the game. Dickinson got called for one more with eight.

“Our biggest trouble tonight was our own discipline,” Grubb said. “That’s something we are going to have to clean up. We go to Bismarck High on Tuesday, they are a very good team, and if we are not disciplined then we will be in trouble.”

The Magi get back on the bus for their third road game this season, as they travel to Bismarck to take on the Demons on Tuesday at 7:15 p.m.

Alex Eisen covers Minot High School, Minot State athletics and high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @AEisen13.

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