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Tauros pile on, top Wings 4-0

Sean Williams/MDN Trevor Stachowiak (81) of the Minot Minotauros carries the puck in the offensive zone versus the Aberdeen Wings on Friday night. Stachowiak was named the 12th Captain in Tauros history earlier in the week.

The Minot Minotauros have been making history as of late. Dating back to Dec. 3, rookie forward Chase LaPinta has scored a goal in 10 consecutive games. His streak already set a new Tauros franchise record and on Friday night, he had the opportunity to tie an all-time NAHL record.

Additionally, on Thursday the Tauros announced that Trevor Stachowiak was named the 12th Captain in franchise history. After playing 133 games in the Magic City, Stachowiak will now wear a “C” on his chest for the first time.

With the opportunity for fans to be a part of history by seeing their new Captain and hopefully a continuation of a goal streak, fans packed the Maysa Arena on Friday night as the Tauros (18-14-2) welcomed the Aberdeen Wings (17-11-3) for the start of a two-game series.

After scoring early, both teams settled into a physical contest where penalties quickly piled up. In the end, it was the Tauros who utilized three late goals to put the game away, as they topped the Wings 4-0.

Matching the volume of the arena, the Tauros brought the noise in the offensive zone to begin the game, as they controlled the puck for most of the first period. With 11:17 left before intermission, Adam Mahler found the back of the net for the fourth time this season to give the Tauros a 1-0. Picking up assists on the goal were Hunter Longhi and Jack O’Hanisain.

The Wings would pick up the pace moving closer to the end of the period, where they finished with 10 shots to the Tauros 15. With the increased intensity, both teams would move into a rowdy affair. After Colby Joseph came out of the penalty box, he took a big hit and a scuffle ensued immediately. This put the Tauros on the power play, which they would take into the second period for 1:42.

Exchanges between both teams followed in the second period that saw the Tauros and Wings end with eight shots each, making for a quieter showing offensively. A combined five penalties between both teams, however, did not keep the game quiet as physicality continued to be on display.

With a 1-0 lead heading into the third period, the Tauros got a major boost from the Wings, as Ronan Walsh and Jonathan Barker took back-to-back penalties at the end of the second frame, giving Minot a two-man advantage that would carry over.

After being unsuccessful in their attempt to extend the lead, the Tauros would give the Wings an edge on a 10-minute misconduct penalty but would walk out from the misconduct unscathed. The increase in penalties did not prevent either team from slowing down, as big hits and scuffles continued to pile on late.

With 6:48 left in the game, the Tauros would get the insurance they were searching for when Longhi struck pay dirt and not even 10 seconds later, they would add more when Justin Dauphinais scored to give the Tauros a late 3-0 lead.

Picking up assists on the goals were LaPinta, Stachowiak, and Nick O’Hanisain. Throwing salt on the wound one last time was Longhi, who connected on his second goal of the game to make it a 4-0 Tauros’ lead with under a minute to play.

With the way Tauros goaltender Lawton Zacher was shutting down the opposition all night, even just a one-goal lead was all the Tauros needed. They would finish strongly, however, topping the Wings 4-0 on Friday night.

Tonight, the Tauros and Wings will conclude their series as the two teams will meet up at the Maysa for a 7:35 p.m. puck drop.

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