Blizzard drop finale

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MINOT, N.D. – Four different Minotauros lit the lamp as Minot beat the Blizzard 4-1 in the NAHL regular-season finale for both teams Saturday night at Pepsi Rink at Maysa Arena.

Andrew Kangas scored a power-play goal off assists from Taylor Lantz and Nick Strom to put the home team ahead 1-0 midway through the first.

Brookings pulled even on Bud Winter’s tally in the second. Johnny Johnson and Carter Krogman were credited with assists.

Minot put up three goals in the third to pull away.

Cole O’Connell scored on assists from Kangas and Justin Kelley with 13:50 remaining.

Joseph Harguindeguy and Quinn Warmuth set up David Raisanen’s goal with 11:46 left.

Kelley provided for the final margin with 10:34 to go, as Lincoln Erne and Lantz assisted.

The Minotauros’ Ben Garrity made 22 saves to earn the win in goal. Nick Beck stopped 27 shots in the loss.

Krogman, a Brookings native, appeared in 53 games for the Blizzard this season, finishing with 12 points – five goals and seven assists. He had one goal in eight games last year.

Brookings concluded the season with an 11-44-3-2 record (27 points). Minot (36-21-3-0, 75) earned the No. 2 seed and takes on third-seeded Bismarck (34-21-3-2, 73 points) in the Central Division semifinals. No. 1 Aberdeen (47-10-2-1, 97 points) faces No. 4 Austin (32-22-0-6, 70 points) in the other series. The MN Wilderness (26-29-3-2, 57 points) finished in fifth place.