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Apr. 16—The Austin Bruins and Minot Minotauros are very familiar with each other and they're about to get even more acquainted as they're set to square off in a best of five game NAHL Central Division semifinal series, beginning this Friday at Riverside Arena at 7:05 p.m.
The No. 2 seeded Bruins and No. 3 seeded Minotauros have met in the postseason in each of the last two years, with the Bruins winning on their way to the Robertson Cup final two years ago, and the Minotauros ending Austin's season in the first round last season.
Austin head coach Steve Howard, who has led the Bruins to the playoffs in four straight seasons, said the games are about to get physical, intense, and important.
"We always talk about having a short memory and forgetting about last night and moving on to the next game," Howard said. "We had a good run two years ago and to do that, you've got to earn bounces and you need some of your secondary scorers to come out. We've got to play for each other right now, we've got to sacrifice and more importantly, we've got to find out who likes pressure... some guys want the puck more than others and this is where you see the cream rise to the top."
The Bruins boast the top two scores in the NAHL in Alex Laurenza (82 points) and Luc Malkhassian (78 points), while Minot is led by Ian Spencer (71 points).
Austin goalie Carl Axelsson is fourth in the NAHL with 1.738 goals against average and Jack Solomon is fifth with a 1.809 goals against average. Minot's Lukas Swedin is sixth in the NAHL with a 1.886 goals against average.
Laurenza, who set the franchise record for most points and goals in a season this year, is going to face a lot of heat from the Minotauros, but he's not about to back down.
"They're a great team. I think we have what it takes to beat them and we're looking forward to the series," Laurenza said. "We're determined, we're hungry and for the guys who were here last year, we remember what happened last year and it wasn't fun."
While Austin and Minot both have relatively young teams, veterans will have a chance to shine in the postseason. Jackson Rilei is now in his third season with the Bruins, which means he knows what it's like to play in the Robertson Cup.
"I've been through it in my first year, where we made it through the final game. The playoffs are a totally different game," Rilei said. "We've got a lot of new guys on the team and us leaders are trying to lead those guys and make them understand how big the opportunity is."
The winner of the Bruins-Minotauros series will take on the winner of top seeded Bismarck and No. 4 Aberdeen. Howard said the Central Division has been stacked all season long, so it's bound to be a battle with everything on the line.
"There is no easy road through the Central, that's for sure. Having said that, it's what we play all year and what we expected. Bismarck, Minot and us have been in the top ten in the same stat categories throughout the year. It's going to be a fun couple of weeks," Howard said. "The first major step is to get to the playoffs, the second major step is to get to the next round and there are a couple of more steps after that, but we can't think about that yet. We have to focus on the now. Friday is all we're worried about."
Games one and two of the best-of-five series will be held in Riverside Arena on Friday and Saturday with 7:05 start times. Next week, the series moves to Minot, where games three and four are scheduled for April 25 and April 26 at 7:35 p.m. Game five would be held in Riverside Arena at 7:05 p.m. on April 28 if necessary.
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The No. 2 seeded Bruins and No. 3 seeded Minotauros have met in the postseason in each of the last two years, with the Bruins winning on their way to the Robertson Cup final two years ago, and the Minotauros ending Austin's season in the first round last season.
Austin head coach Steve Howard, who has led the Bruins to the playoffs in four straight seasons, said the games are about to get physical, intense, and important.
"We always talk about having a short memory and forgetting about last night and moving on to the next game," Howard said. "We had a good run two years ago and to do that, you've got to earn bounces and you need some of your secondary scorers to come out. We've got to play for each other right now, we've got to sacrifice and more importantly, we've got to find out who likes pressure... some guys want the puck more than others and this is where you see the cream rise to the top."
The Bruins boast the top two scores in the NAHL in Alex Laurenza (82 points) and Luc Malkhassian (78 points), while Minot is led by Ian Spencer (71 points).
Austin goalie Carl Axelsson is fourth in the NAHL with 1.738 goals against average and Jack Solomon is fifth with a 1.809 goals against average. Minot's Lukas Swedin is sixth in the NAHL with a 1.886 goals against average.
Laurenza, who set the franchise record for most points and goals in a season this year, is going to face a lot of heat from the Minotauros, but he's not about to back down.
"They're a great team. I think we have what it takes to beat them and we're looking forward to the series," Laurenza said. "We're determined, we're hungry and for the guys who were here last year, we remember what happened last year and it wasn't fun."
While Austin and Minot both have relatively young teams, veterans will have a chance to shine in the postseason. Jackson Rilei is now in his third season with the Bruins, which means he knows what it's like to play in the Robertson Cup.
"I've been through it in my first year, where we made it through the final game. The playoffs are a totally different game," Rilei said. "We've got a lot of new guys on the team and us leaders are trying to lead those guys and make them understand how big the opportunity is."
The winner of the Bruins-Minotauros series will take on the winner of top seeded Bismarck and No. 4 Aberdeen. Howard said the Central Division has been stacked all season long, so it's bound to be a battle with everything on the line.
"There is no easy road through the Central, that's for sure. Having said that, it's what we play all year and what we expected. Bismarck, Minot and us have been in the top ten in the same stat categories throughout the year. It's going to be a fun couple of weeks," Howard said. "The first major step is to get to the playoffs, the second major step is to get to the next round and there are a couple of more steps after that, but we can't think about that yet. We have to focus on the now. Friday is all we're worried about."
Games one and two of the best-of-five series will be held in Riverside Arena on Friday and Saturday with 7:05 start times. Next week, the series moves to Minot, where games three and four are scheduled for April 25 and April 26 at 7:35 p.m. Game five would be held in Riverside Arena at 7:05 p.m. on April 28 if necessary.
Continue reading...
