Ryan Ladika/MDN Ethan Schmunk (blue) stands in for a faceoff during Minot's April 6 contest against Aberdeen. The two clubs begin their playoff series on Friday.

The Minot Daily News recently published a postseason preview special section featuring the Minot Minotauros and the team’s upcoming playoff run. The deadline for the piece had passed before the conclusion of the regular season, and the Minotauros at that time were in possession of the NAHL central division’s third seed and set to square off against the second-place Bismarck Bobcats in the first round of the postseason.

By virtue of the team’s back-to-back defeats to the Aberdeen Wings May 14-15 at the Odde Ice Center coupled with the Minnesota Wilderness’ three consecutive victories over the Chippewa Steel and Bismarck Bobcats May 13-15, Minnesota leapfrogged Minot for third place in the division and will square off against Bismarck in the first round, sending Minot to a one-versus-four matchup against Aberdeen that is scheduled to commence May 21.

Due to these events, it became prudent to publish a new postseason preview piece. We hope that our readers enjoy this updated version ahead of the Robertson Cup Playoffs.

Looking for the upset

The Minot Minotauros wrapped up their 2020-21 regular season with a thud, dropping back-to-back games to the Aberdeen Wings by a combined 14 goals to two. The two losses sent Minot down to fourth place in the central division and gave the team a 23-25-6-2 (regulation wins-regulation losses-overtime losses-shootout losses) record following the conclusion of the 56-game slate.

The squad did lock up their postseason spot a little under two weeks ago with a 4-3 overtime loss at the hands of the visiting Bismarck Bobcats May 7, and will participate in postseason play for the eighth consecutive season. Minot had advanced past the first round of the playoffs just once in the seasons between 2013-2017, and the road to accomplish that feat is not any easier this year.

The first place-finishing Aberdeen Wings have proved an incredibly tough matchup for virtually every team they faced throughout the season. Aberdeen finished its campaign with a dominant 51-4-0-1 record with wins in each of its last 10 games to conclude the regular season.

Of their five total losses, two came at the hands of the Minotauros. Minot first stunned the Wings 2-1 at the Odde Ice Center March 17 behind a brilliant performance by starting netminder Keenan Rancier. Logan Anderson tallied his third score of the season in the first period, and the Minotauros goaltender handled the affairs the rest of the way with 41 saves on 42 Wings shots.

He was also aided by Anderson’s second goal of the game 11 minutes and 10 seconds into the third period, allowing Minot to survive a Liam Fraser goal to cut the lead in half with five minutes remaining in the contest.

Aberdeen’s second loss of the season to Minot came in the Magic City April 6. Carter Clafton earned the nod from head coach Shane Wagner, giving Rancier the night off. The cards appeared stacked against the Minotauros with Aberdeen starting netminder Jake Sibell between the pipes opposite Clafton, but the young Minot goalie took full advantage of his opportunity.

Ethan Schmunk cracked the scoreboard first for the Minotauros, potting his eighth goal of the season just before the halfway point of the first frame. The early score was all Clafton would need, as the Grand Rapids, Minnesota native denied all 36 shots the Wings threw his way. Minot piled on in the third period with scores from Cade Stibbe and Jack Westlund en route to a 3-0 shutout victory over their division rivals.

Even with the two encouraging wins, Minot still finished with a sub-.500 record against their first-place foes. The pair of victories were accompanied by 10 losses scattered throughout the season’s schedule, all in regulation.

An upset of this magnitude is not unheard of, not even in the Magic City. Minot will be clinging to the hope of repeating the events of their 2017-18 campaign in which the club also finished fourth in the division with a 28-26-4-2 record and 62 points. Aberdeen also clinched the central division that season as well, completing the season 39-16-4-1.

The two teams met in the first round of the Robertson Cup Playoffs, and Minot pulled out the David versus Goliath-esque victory in five games. The two teams traded shutout victories in the first two games, and the Wings snagged Game 3 by a 4-1 score, pushing Minot to the brink of elimination.

The Minotauros stormed back with wins in Games 4 and 5 by 3-1 and 3-0 final scores, completing the upset and the comeback to send their higher-seeded rivals to their respective living room couches. The opening-series win sparked a playoff run that sent Minot to the Robertson Cup Championship Game against the Shreveport Mudbugs, but the Minotauros could not complete their Cinderella season, falling 2-1 to the south division champion in the final game of the year.

Breaking down the numbers

The Minotauros concede the statistical edge in many categories, whether the team is in the offensive or defensive zone. Aberdeen allowed the fewest goals in the league at only 75, good for 57 fewer goals than the next-lowest total (the Lone Star Brahmas’ 132). Its power play converted 27 percent of its opportunities, and its penalty kill disposed of the team’s infractions 92 percent of the time.

Minot’s power play received 23 fewer chances than Aberdeen’s, and still converted 18 percent of its chances. Minot also proved superior to its first-round opponents in the art of staying out of the penalty box, as the Wings saw 16 more chances on the penalty kill. The Minotauros’ kill succeeded at a 75 percent rate throughout its 56-game slate, with its home and road shorthanded chances coming in about even at 75 and 76 percent, respectively.

The verdict

Minot has a tough road to advancing past the first round, there is no denying it. The Wings have held the edge throughout the season series and open the playoffs as favorites against the Minotauros.

The representatives from the Magic City, meanwhile, need to go back to the drawing board, erase their previous two games from their minds, and go back to what worked in their two victories against Aberdeen earlier in the season.

They handed the Wings almost half of their total losses during the regular season, so it stands to reason that a series victory is well within their abilities. Will they need to be at their absolute best? Of course, but Keenan Rancier has perplexed opposing skaters time and time again this season, and with a bit more offensive support, Minot could pull this off.