Sean Williams/MDN Minot Minotauros head coach and general manager Cody Campbell looking on from the bench during a game at the Maysa Arena earlier this season.

AUSTIN, Minn. – Following a tough loss that saw the Minot Minotauros erase a two-goal deficit in the final two minutes and then falling in overtime, the team looked to bounce back against the Austin Bruins on Saturday night, as their best-of-five series continued in the Robertson Cup Playoffs.

Squashing the Minotauros hopes, the Bruins took advantage of another penalty-filled contest. Utilizing power-play goals to do most of their damage, the Bruins picked up another win in a 4-2 final on Saturday night.

Being a consistent theme in the series, it didn’t take long for the Bruins to show that they were ready to capitalize on the power play early on. Jack Malinski and Austin Salani netted a power-play goal each in the first six minutes of the opening period, giving the Bruins a 2-0 lead.

The quick scores by Austin caused Minotauros head coach Cody Campbell to make a change in net, as Lawton Zacher entered the game with the hopes of limiting the damage. Braden Fischer, on assists from Trevor Stachowiak and Chase LaPinta, got the Minotauros a goal back in the period, as his power-play score made it a 2-1 game.

Getting the best of a sibling rivalry, Walter Zacher got one past his brother L. Zacher to put the Bruins up 3-1 at the end of the first period. Following a busy first period for both teams, the game slowed down the rest of the way as most of the damage was done early.

Despite the Minotauros showing some fight in the first period, once the Bruins took the lead, they never lost it. Josh Giuliani added to their lead with a power-play goal in the second period, then LaPinta scored the final goal of the night late in the third, bringing the game to its final of 4-2 with Austin coming out on top.

Just like the opening game of the series, the Bruins did a ton of damage on the power play. They finished the night going 3-for-6 on the man advantage, while the Tauros went 1-for-5. At the conclusion of Saturday’s game, the Tauros are 3-for-13 on the power play in the series so far.

With it being a best-of-five series, the Minotauros are now one loss away from seeing their season come to an end. They will need to win the next three games against the Bruins if they want to advance in the Robertson Cup Playoffs.

Fortunately, the next game will be back on their home ice, as the Minotauros are set to host the Bruins on Friday, April 28 for a 7:35 p.m. puck drop at the Maysa Arena.