Mike Kraft/MDN Minot Minotauros Briggs Knott fires a shot on Minnesota Mallards goaltender Connor MacKenzie during the third period of an NAHL contest at Maysa Arena on Saturday, Jan. 10.

To blow off some lingering steam from another disappointing showing against their in-state rival last weekend – this time in front of their hometown fans – the Minot Minotauros partook in some good old-fashioned duck hunting to turn their fortunes around.

It was exactly what the Tauros needed, as they secured a series sweep of the Minnesota Mallards over the weekend to gain four points in the Central Division standings and move into a tie for fifth-place with the North Iowa Bulls.

Minot never trailed at any point in the series, jumping out to first-period leads in both contests en route to a 6-3 victory on Friday, Jan. 9, and a 4-0 shutout win on Saturday, Jan. 10, for their third sweep of the season and first against a team other than the St. Cloud Norsemen.

“I thought we won the middle of the ice offensively,” Tauros coach Cody Campbell said. “We created a lot of chances by just driving to the middle, whether that was on the power play or even strength, we got to the middle of the ice and that’s where you score goals from.”

Minot’s newest addition to the roster provided an instant spark. Volodymyr Naumenko netted his first NAHL goal 3:21 into the first period on Friday. Naumenko took a pass from Philip Wiklund at the offensive blue line and skated past Minnesota’s last line of defense, going hard to the net and putting a shot past goaltender Connor MacKenzie for the early 1-0 lead.

The Dnipro, Ukraine, native joined the Tauros (13-17-3) last Saturday, arriving in Minot via Chicago just hours before puck drop against the Bismarck Bobcats. Naumenko saw ice time that game, but had yet to practice with the team in any capacity. He had a full week of practice leading up to the series against Minnesota, leading to a three-point weekend with two goals and an assist.

“I absolutely like it here,” Naumenko said. “I like the crowd, I like the team. I love the energy here. When I came here, I started to love hockey more. I just love the game. Every shift, I want to get better. It’s all about loving hockey.”

Prior to coming to the United States, Naumenko played for both the HC Pilsen Wolves U15 and U17 programs in the Czech Republic, scoring 24 goals and 28 assists in 28 games. He moved to Chicago in 2023 to play for the Windy City Storm U15 AAA program, where he amassed 41 points in 54 games. He also played 83 combined games for Team Illinois 16U and Team Illinois 18U, tallying 33 goals and 45 assists.

“He’s a very easy-going kid, which makes it easier for his teammates to get to know him,” Campbell said. “He just plays so hard and plays so fast. I think anybody who is playing with him is going to enjoy playing with him because he sets the pace and has enough speed to separate and create space for himself and his teammates as well.”

Naumenko had himself a memorable weekend, but so too did Ivan Sidorov, who netted a goal and three assists on Friday and added two more goals on Saturday for six total points on the weekend. In 25 games this season, Sidorov has 16 points on seven goals and nine assists.

“He was great all weekend,” Campbell said. “He’s a big kid who plays really hard. Normally when you do that you get rewarded for that and it did here this weekend.”

Sidorov gave the Tauros a 3-0 advantage with 4:18 remaining in the opening period, scoring one of Minot’s two power-play goals on the night. The Tauros scored more goals in the first 16 minutes against the Mallards than they managed in 120 minutes against the Bobcats the previous weekend, where they were held to just two goals and were shut out in the finale.

The Tauros and Mallards (7-19-3) exchanged goals over the course of the final two periods, as the Mallards could never get within two goals of the lead. Briggs Knott, Lucca Ori and Wiklund netted goals for the Tauros during that span. Wiklund and Knott also registered two assists each.

Brian Cooke earned the win in net for Minot, stopping 24 of 27 shots faced. MacKenzie finished with 28 saves in a losing effort as the Tauros fired 34 shots on the netminder.

Sidorov and Naumenko powered the offense the following night, scoring Minot’s first three goals in the opening half of the contest. Sidorov potted two in the first period, with Naumenko earning the primary assist on the second one, which came via the power play. Sidorov one-timed a shot from in close off a pass from the side boards from Jax Warren for his first and was in the exact same spot in front of the net to knock home the rebound off Naumenko’s shot from the top of the faceoff circle for his second.

“It’s all about my partners,” Sidorov said. “They made it for me. I just had to put it in. We worked really hard. In this league, it’s really important to move your feet every shift.”

Naumenko put the Tauros up 3-0 at 11:01 of the second period, cleaning up the rebound in front of the net off a shot from Wiklund in the slot. Naumenko’s goal ended Adam Kimbrel’s night in net for the Mallards. He finished with 22 saves and was replaced by MacKenzie.

“I liked the team play,” Naumenko said. “We were all together. Everyone was doing the job really well. It’s what I liked the most.”

Arseni Vorobyov added a power-play goal with 5:37 remaining in regulation to put a bow on the weekend sweep and four points in the standings.

Cooke picked up his second victory in as many nights, earning his second shutout of the season with a 27-save performance.

“He played well,” Campbell said. “That’s what we need out of our goalies. We need a couple of timely saves and make all the ones you should and he did that tonight.”

Minot’s two wins, coupled with a regulation loss and shootout loss for North Iowa moves the Tauros into a tie for fifth place in the Central Division standings with the Bulls, although they have a game in hand on Minot. Both sit five points out of the final playoff spot, which is currently held by Watertown. The Shamrocks are currently riding a four-game winning streak.

The season is still three months from reaching its conclusion and Campbell and the Tauros aren’t concerning themselves with any scoreboard watching.

“I don’t because if we take care of our business, we’ll be just fine where we want to be come April,” Campbell said.

The Tauros head on the road for a weekend series with North Iowa at Mason City Arena beginning on Friday, Jan. 16, at 7:10 p.m.