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Recuperating Magi enter state tourney as a two seed

Alex Eisen/MDN Minot High senior Easton Bennett (21) controls the puck in a boys hockey game earlier this season at Maysa Arena. Bennett leads the Magi with a team-high 59 points.

After a triple overtime thriller and the subsequent ice bathes that followed, the Minot High School boys hockey team is refreshed and ready to challenge for the program’s third state title this weekend in Fargo.

In a grueling Western Dakota Association tournament, the Magi (14-8-2) needed three overtimes to upend Bismarck Century, 4-3, in the semifinals. Then, fatigue got the best of them against Bismarck High in the championship game. The Demons shutout Minot, 6-0, and pushed the Magi into the two seed out of the West Region for the state tournament.

“By the time it was done, we ended up playing nine good periods of hockey,” co-head coach Jason Bennett said about the regional tournament. “But, the problem is we were in 12 periods of hockey games. I think we played really well against Century, two evenly matched teams and we got the better of it in triple overtime. We played a really good period Saturday night against Bismarck High and I think we just kind of ran out of steam in the second and third (periods). Which is alright, our goal was to be a No. 1 or No. 2 seed.”

Senior captain Easton Bennett, who is tied with Bismarck High’s Eric Pladsen for the most points in the West Region with 59 (26 goals and 33 assists), echoed those same remarks and expressed how much of a toll the semifinal’s contest against Century took on the team and his body.

“It wears on you,” he said. “I know the morning after I was feeling a little bit sore and I even took an ice bath that night. You just got to go out there and work hard every shift and try to end the game as soon as you can.”

Early on, the Magi won’t have to worry about either Bismarck school at the state tournament because Bismarck High and Century find themselves on the other side of the eight-team bracket.

Instead, all focus for Minot is on their first round opponent, Fargo Davies. The Magi beat the Eagles, 4-3, in their one and only meeting this season on Jan. 14 in Fargo.

“They are a good team,” co-head coach John Grubb said. “We think it’s an excellent matchup. They have a very good goaltender, otherwise we are very much alike. Up front we probably have a couple more big-time players. But, our depth between the two teams is very similar.”

Sophomore goaltender Jared Winter will likely be between the pipes for Fargo Davies. Winter’s 93 save percentage is best among goalies in the state that have played at least 15 games this season and his average of 2.25 goals against is second best among those that have played 15 games as well.

Minot sophomore goaltender Odin Nelson, with an 86.2 save percentage and 3.55 goals against average, will look to match Winter save for save.

“Odin (Nelson) played really well against Century and against Davies down there this year,” coach Bennett said. “When he is on and focused, he is pretty good. When he loses his focus, I think at times he struggles. He just needs to maintain his focus and I think we will be OK.”

In front of Nelson on the ice, the Magi have been getting some welcomed production from their third line recently (plus/minus of two at the regional tournament), but coach Bennett made no hesitation that it has to be the “usual suspects” to step up to make a deep postseason run possible.

Alongside the Magi’s leading goal scorer in Bennett, junior Jake Viall has 19 goals and 27 assists on the season. Also, sophomore forwards Kyler Stenberg and Mason Diehl are sitting on eight and seven goals respectively.

Junior Colby Enns anchors a potent defense with classmate Patrick Heide. The duo leads the state in points for defensemen with each racking up 31 points. Enns has scored 14 goals, while Heide has picked up 24 assists.

“I’m just trying to do my part,” Enns said. “Put the team in the best possible position to win.”

As for what it will take to win at the state tournament, the Magi can just take a quick trip down memory lane and recall what happened two years ago.

“Everyone has to be doing the little things,” Easton Bennett said. “You got to be playing your best hockey here at the end of the year. If you win one game, then anything can happen. Just look back at the 2015 state tournament when we won one game (a 2-1 overtime win over Devils Lake in the first round) and we ended up winning the state title. So I think if we can get that first game out of the way, we will be alright.”

So, all the attention is back on Fargo Davies, and the Eagles are a team that the Minot High coaches and players feel is a pretty good first round opponent for them.

“They don’t have any superstars,” coach Bennett said. “They are just a team that has three solid lines and they have pretty decent goalie. We played them down there (in Fargo) and I think the shots were even and there wasn’t much for penalties. This year, I think (Fargo Davies) has taken some penalties and our power play has been really good lately. It needs to continue to be good. And our top end guys, like they did against Century, need to be the best players on the ice.”

Puck drop against Fargo Davies is at 2 p.m. this afternoon at the Scheels Arena in Fargo.

The winner advances to the state semifinals Friday and will face the winner of the East Region No. 1-seeded Grand Forks Central or the West Region No. 4-seeded Dickinson. The losing team drops to the consolation side of the bracket with its state title dreams dashed.

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

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