Head coach Marty Murray stood patiently in the tunnel that leads back to the locker room. Distant shouts of elation echoed off the concrete walls.

Murray watched and waited in the wings, as his team handed over the Central Cup to the Aberdeen Wings and saluted the Maysa Arena crowd one final time.

Then, one by one, the Minot Minotauros skated off the ice. Most of the players had their heads down, while others blankly stared straight ahead. As each one walked by, Murray gave them a pat on the back of the arm to acknowledge their efforts. A light condolence tap for each player.

Watching another team celebrate a divisional title in your own building is gut wrenching.

This wasn’t how the Minotauros envisioned their season ending. A postseason run that started with so much promise was over just like that.

Three straight defeats, the last two coming at home, had derailed the Minotauros’ quest to get back to the Robertson Cup championship game.

This redemption story was denied a cheerful encore, and that’s OK. Not every story has a happy ending, especially in sports.

Despite how painful Saturday night was, the sun came up on Sunday.

At the end of the season, there can only be one Robertson Cup champion. Minot will have to wait a little bit longer for its turn.

If anything, this abrupt postseason exit gives some more perspective. A reference point to better appreciate what happened a season ago. Making it to Blaine, Minnesota, isn’t easy.

The top-seeded Aberdeen Wings, who put together their best regular season in franchise history (47-10-3 overall record), proved they deserve another crack at the Robertson Cup. The No. 2-seeded Minotauros weren’t going to stop them this time. The favorites prevailed.

This didn’t come as a surprise. The Wings won the regular season series, 8-3-1, against the Minotauros. If it wasn’t for an overtime goal by Kevin Ness in Game 1, Aberdeen could have swept the playoff series.

Expecting the Minotauros to morph into invincible underdogs in the postseason is unrealistic.

This season was a return to reality. It’s a pleasant reality that includes seven straight playoff appearances and three trips to the Central Division finals series.

The only thing missing is a Robertson Cup. Every time the Minotauros fall short, more fuel is added to the fire. Even though players come and go, this raging bonfire has continued to grow with plenty of support from the Minot community.

So, stick taps to everyone involved after another long season.

The final outcome wasn’t desired, but that’s just more motivation for next season.

This is the opinion of Alex Eisen. He covers Minot State athletics, the Minot Minotauros and high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @AEisen13.