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Minot High’s seniors lead Majettes past Firebirds

Ryan Ladika/MDN Junior forward Abigail Tallman takes a wrist shot in the first period of Minot High's eventual 2-1 victory over the Devils Lake Firebirds.

Emotions were at a high even before the puck dropped a little after 7 p.m. at Maysa Arena Monday night. The Minot High School girls’ hockey team honored its six seniors in a brief seniors night pregame ceremony, and the club ensured the night ended on a high note with a narrow 2-1 victory over the visiting Devils Lake Firebirds.

Looking to bounce back from a 3-0 shutout loss to Davies High School Dec. 30, Minot (4-2, 12 points) controlled the tempo of the contest right from the start. The Majettes won the opening faceoff and dominated play for much of the first period. By the first whistle’s screech, Minot had outshot Devils Lake (0-6, 0 points) 5-1 with just under 14 minutes to play in the opening frame.

The Majettes cracked the scoreboard first after a relentless barrage of shots on net. Senior Alyssa Enns, with aid from Taylyn Cope and Tatum Stebleton, dialed up a long wrist shot that snuck past the Firebirds’ Molly Black to put Minot ahead 1-0.

The Majettes weren’t satisfied with just one. With a minute and 15 seconds remaining in the opening period, a scrum in the blue paint led to Minot’s second tally. Junior Abigail Tallman kept her wits about her amid the chaos and chipped the rock past Black to double the home five’s lead, a goal that would prove to be the game-winner. Cope and Paige Ackerman were credited with assists on the play. Overall, Minot entered the first intermission with a 2-0 lead, outshooting the Firebirds 17-3.

The winless Devils Lake didn’t panic, and instead used the pause in action to regroup. Exiting the locker room on the ropes, the Firebirds played a much more balanced second period, providing some resistance to Minot’s efforts where there was none in the first.

The visitors were rewarded for their efforts when they were given a power play opportunity near the midpoint of the second stanza. Stebleton was sent to the penalty box for roughing, and Devils Lake went to work. With an assist from Julia McIvor, Ashlyn Abrahamson flicked one past Minot netminder Amber Borkhuis to halve the Majettes’ advantage. Minot still led in goals and shots at the conclusion of the period, but it was a much more even 10-9 shot total.

Minot came out for the third period reviving the same fire with which they started, recording eleven shots on goal before Devils Lake managed their first. The frame was played to a stalemate, though, as both goaltenders played a perfect final fifteen minutes. The Majettes won their fourth game of the season, and will be back in action Thursday evening on the road against Dickinson High School. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.

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