MINOT, N.D. – The Beaver-Marauder rivalry will take one last stance for the 2023-24 regular season. Minot State and University of Mary are set to reignite the rivalry at Maysa Arena in the Magic City coming up this week.
The No. 1 Beavers (26-6-1) host a midweek contest with the 9th-ranked Marauders (25-12-0), with puck drop slated for Thursday night at 7:15 (CT).
Despite competing in what were exhibition matches versus Simon Fraser last weekend, Minot State got back on track following a tough series with Maryville the week before. In their previous game, the Beavers sparked in a 3-2 overtime victory with a good home crowd in the background.
Believe it or not, while the Beavers continue regular season play, the University of Mary Marauders are coming off another appearance in the Midwest College Hockey Tournament. One which they hosted, where they fell 2-1 to Jamestown in the championship game. They will travel up to Minot, where Thursday's game is their last one of the 2023-24 regular season.
There has been some movement in the Marauders scoring list, as former North Dakota high school hockey standout Isaiah Thomas takes over the lead in points. He has 39, with 33 of them being assists. His playmaking ability will be one to watch out for. Despite missing a few games, Seth Cushing is still at the top in goal scoring with an impressive 21 for Mary.
The Marauders have two options in net that they could potentially go with heading into Thursday's match. Kyle Hayden has the most games played with 19, and has recorded a 2.20 goals-against average and .933 save percentage in his line of work. Conan Hayton shadows Hayden as the next one up. In 15 games of work this season, Hayton carries a 2.35 goals-against average and .922 save percentage.
Because of the exhibition tag on their last two matches, any stats that came from those did not count towards the season total. Carter Barley still remains at the top of the points list with 44, and Reid Arnold in goals with 19.
The same goes for goaltenders. Although, it was a rare weekend where only one goalie got picked to start in both games. Jake Anthony was solid, only giving up two goals and no more in both contests with Simon Fraser. He sits with a 2.15 goals-against average and .918 save percentage in 18 games. The other netminder, Riley Wallace, should be well rested if he gets the call on Thursday. His 1.49 goals-against average and .926 save percentage are through 12 games, including four of them being shutouts.
This is the last chance to catch the Minot State-UMary rivalry on the ice this season. The Beavers will be looking to avenge their previous match with the Marauders when Mary won 5-3 back on January 24. Despite that, the Beavers own nine wins in 11 games all-time versus the Marauders.
The home stretch is here for Minot State, with just a few more games on schedule for next week following their bout with the Marauders. There will be a home-and-home series with the Jamestown Jimmies to cap off the 2023-24 regular season, with the Beavers on the road next Wednesday the 28th and back home the day after on February 29th.
