BISMARCK – Heading into this weekend series, the Tauros only needed two points to secure the Central Division crown. Minot clinched a 4-3 victory on Friday, securing first place in the Central Division. Then, on Saturday night the Minotauros posted a commanding 4-1 victory over Bismarck to earn the weekend road sweep over the Bobcats, marking their 44th win of the season.

This season marks the second time in franchise history the team has won a division title and first since the 2016-2017 season. The Minotauros will be hoping for a different result than that year’s squad, who bowed out in the first round of the playoffs.

Offensively, Chad Muller, Adam Mahler and Nicholas Sewecke scored on Friday while team captain Trevor Stachowiak, Cayden Casey, Sewecke and Jack O’Hanisian all scored on Saturday.

Recording assists over the games were Ian Spencer, John Small, Will Dawson, Rylan Jockims, John Emmons, Sewecke, Stachowlak, Coby Woogk on Friday and Casey, Pavol Funtek, Spencer and Chuck Owens.

Brady James covered the net as goalie in Friday’s game with 36 saves on 39 shots taken, while Lukas Swedin was in the net for Saturday, recording 19 saves on 20 shots for Minot.

The Minotauros were outshot by the Bobcats 39-37 on Friday and outshot Bismarck 32-20 on Saturday.

Minot had five penalties for ten minutes while Bismarck had three for six minutes in Friday’s game. The Bobcats were called for seven penalties Saturday night for 14 minutes while the Minotauros had five penalties called for ten minutes of box time.

Minot will play the Bobcats in Bismarck at 7:15 p.m. on Friday, April 12 and end the regular season at home on Saturday, April 13 at the Maysa Arena. The puck will drop in the season finale at 7:35 p.m.

Prior to the Minotauros game on Saturday will be the 6th annual Guns-N-Hoses Hockey Charity Game between the Minot Police Department and the Minot Fire Department, with all proceeds going to the family of nine years-old Isaac Louis, who recently passed away after battling medulloblastoma, a rare pediatric brain cancer. The game starts at 3 p.m.