Magicians dominate Demons in opening win

Kari Gibb/MDN
Minot High’s Coen Schmeichel (34) battles Bismarck High’s Ian Feist (29) for the puck in WDA action on Tuesday, November 26, at Maysa Arena in season opening hockey.

The Minot High boys hockey team kicked off their 2024-2025 season with a home contest against the Demons from Bismarck High on Tuesday, November 26, at the Maysa Arena.

The match started slow on the scoreboard despite the speed on the ice. The Demons had three shots on goal in the first period compared to the 18 shots on goal by the Magicians during the same timeframe. The lights on the scoreboard showed 0-0 regardless of the number of times the puck was aimed at the net on their side.

The second period got started with Rylan Roteliuk scoring on a power play with assists by Aidan Diehl and Mackley Morelli- both captains for the Magicians. Less than one minute later, Oliver Thompson hit the net again for Minot High with Jayce Lemon and Diehl getting the assists on the second score for the 2-0 lead at the end of the second.

The Magicians again had 18 shots on goal in the second period while the Demons fired four times.

The third period started the same as the second period ended. Roteliuk scored again on a power play with assists by Thompson and Easton Panasuk for the 3-0 lead. At the 14:59 mark, Bismarck High found the net to close the gap.

Minot High found the net at the 16:32 mark when Thompson found the net off assists by Coen Schmeichel and Roteluk for the 4-1 lead. Tate Haugenoe hit the net one final time for Minot High at the 16:55 mark. Rudson Cope was credited with the assist of the final goal for the 5-1 win.

The Magicians had 52 shots on goal in the match while the Demons had only 12 total. Devon Keller stopped 11 of those 12 shots for Minot High. Bismarck High’s Owen Deeter had a commendable effort despite the five goals scored by stopping 47 shots on the night.

Mandan will face Minot High next on Tuesday, December 3, at Maysa Arena.