Austin Bruins suffer another one-goal loss in division play

Oct. 25—MINOT, N.D. — The good news for the Austin Bruins here late Saturday night: They don't have to make the 10-hour bus ride to Minot, N.D., again until the last weekend in January.The bad news: They left Minot on Saturday having been swept in a two-game North American Hockey League Central Division series, suffering their third and fourth consecutive losses in regulation time.Saturday's 3-2 loss was particularly frustrating, as an eight-and-a-half minute stretch in the second period was the Bruins undoing.After a scoreless first period, the Minot Minotauros came out strong in the second. They opened the scoring 4:53 in to the period on Lucca Ori's fifth goal of the season. Just five minutes later, the Tauros earned a power play, and they converted, as Jax Warren's goal made it a 2-0 game.Minot extended the lead to three when Mackley Morelli — the younger brother of former Minotauros forward and former NHLer Mason Morelli — scored with 6:41 left in the period.Austin fought back, though, as Tevin Stukel scored on a power play with 2:57 left in the second, assisted by Brendan Murray and Gus Elbert.Kyle Sorensen then scored his sixth goal of the season — set up by Elliot Bast-Wiklund and Hugo Thulin — with 8:51 still to play in regulation.The Bruins pushed to tie it, but couldn't get the equalizer.The teams both put 28 shots on goal. Dilans Birkans made 25 stops for Austin.First-place Minot improved to 11-2-0 (22 points) overall. The Bruins (6-6-1 overall, 13 points) remain in fourth place in the NAHL Central.Austin plays three games this week. It plays at St. Cloud at 7 p.m. Thursday, then returns home for games against the Bismarck (N.D.) Bobcats at 7:05 p.m. Friday and 6:05 p.m. Saturday at Riverside Arena.BOX SCORE: Minot Minotauros 3, Austin Bruins 2