On Saturday evening, the Minot State men’s hockey team improved to 6-1 on the year by going on the road to defeat Williston State College 2-1. The two clubs were originally scheduled to meet on Nov. 7, but those plans were changed due to concerns relating to the coronavirus pandemic.

Minot State drew first blood at the 7:22 mark of the first period as Dylan Cassie scored on a play that was assisted by Nick Doyle and Rhett Lough. Williston State would later even up the score as both clubs were tied at 1-1 after 20 minutes of action. In the second, Doyle would score what would eventually stand to be the game winning goal as he was assisted by Adam Wowryk and Carter Barley.

Afterwards, Minot State men’s hockey coach Wade Regier praised the effort level of both teams, and also paid homage to the resiliency of his players for overcoming a recent string of injuries, as well as scheduling issues brought about by the pandemic.

“I thought (Williston State) played well defensively too in terms of their blocking shots and their whole system back there, but our guys played well. It’s a 2-1 win and it’s a hard fought win and we’ll definitely take it,” Regier said. “The guys that are new are trying to understand our systems, and our veterans are trying to bring them along at the same time. We are just trying to keep getting better day to day, and that is certainly going to be the expectation.”

Up next for the Beavers, they are scheduled for a two game home-and-home set with Jamestown on Dec. 4 and 5. Minot State will host the first game of the series on Dec. 4, and then travel to Jamestown for their final contest before the Christmas break.