Sean Williams/MDN Braden Fischer (24) of the Minot Minotauros scored two power-play goals in a 4-3 loss against the Aberdeen Wings on Saturday night at the Maysa Arena.

Hoping to gain ground in the ever tight North American Hockey League (NAHL) Central Division, the Minot Minotauros (21-19-2 overall) took a loss in the opening night of their two-game slate with the Aberdeen Wings (22-16-4 overall), which caused the team to tumble from second place down to fourth place.

On Saturday night, the two teams battled it out once more as the Tauros aimed to avoid a sweep. To do so, they would have a bit of a hill to climb, as leading goal scorer Chase LaPinta was out with an injury.

Despite a second-period surge led by Braden Fischer, the Tauros attempt to complete a comeback would fall short as the they were swept following a 4-3 loss to the Wings on Saturday night.

The hill would get steeper early on, as Alex Gullichsen of the Wings scored two first period goals, causing Tauros’ head coach Cody Campbell to make a change in net, inserting Lawton Zacher into the game with 12:18 to play before intermission.

It took the Tauros time to get going offensively, as they had only three shots on goal at the halfway mark of the first period. A few minutes later, during an extended trip in the offensive zone, they would nearly double their shot total and begin turning up the intensity. Their efforts would remain silent for the time being, as the Wings held a 2-0 lead after one.

Roope Tuomioksa of the Wings would make it a 3-0 game on a power-play goal with 15:39 left in the second period. As the Wings were steadily out in front, you could hear a pin drop in the Maysa Arena. That was until the Tauros’ power-play unit would proceed to burst onto the scene.

Igniting the flame was captain Trevor Stachowiak, who got the Tauros on the board with 9:31 left in the second period, trimming their deficit to 3-1. The arena started getting life again, however, the Tauros still had work to do.

Fischer would take matters into his own hands, blowing the roof off the arena by scoring two power-play goals within less than a minute of each other, causing fans to go wild and celebrate the Tauros, who battled back to knot the contest up at 3-3.

Once feeling deflated and seeming like they were desperate to make some noise, the Minotauros now had all the momentum on their side as they scored three unanswered power-play goals to bring a 3-3 tie heading into what was sure to be a thrilling finish.

Both teams would settle into a quiet affair in the final period, but the Wings would land another punch by taking a 4-3 lead on an Owen Dubois goal with 10:17 left. Hoping for one last push to even up the contest, Campbell would call a timeout with 1:27 left in the game.

Following the timeout, Zacher was pulled to give the Tauros an extra attacker the rest of the way. Stachowiak blocked a shot on a wide-open net to keep it a one-goal game, but the comeback attempt by the Minotauros would come up short as they fell by a final of 4-3.

The Tauros will hit the road for their next series, as they head to St. Cloud to take on the Norsemen beginning on Friday. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. for both games.