The Bottineau-Rugby Braves traveled to Minot on Tuesday, Jan. 20, to take on Minot United, dropping the game 2-6 after a strong first two periods.

Just over five minutes into the first period, the Braves punched the first goal of the game onto the scoreboard. Senior Lucas Getzlaff scored first with assistance from senior Landon Siemens and junior Casey Freeman, putting them in the lead and putting Minot United immediately on edge. It took just over 10 minutes of play time for Minot United to respond, but a goal by junior Nolan Knowles put them on even ground at 1-1 at the end of the first period. The Braves took the lead once again in the first two minutes of the second period with Siemens scoring a goal of his own. Minot United once again took more than 10 minutes to respond, evening the score 12 minutes 45 seconds into the second period. This time, before the second period ended, Minot United took their first lead of the game. Junior Kayden Danielson’s goal took Minot United to a 3-2 lead over the Braves before the second period came to an end. Minot United surged ahead in the third period, scoring three unanswered goals, giving them the win over the Braves with a final score of 6-2.

The Braves ended the night with a total of 24 shots on goal. Minot United had 36 shots on goal, with senior goaltender Rowan Cheshire saving 30 of those shots, more than any other goalie on the ice that night. With their loss to Minot United, the Braves’ record fell to 2-11-1-1 on the season.