Magicians clinch spot in 2019 Playoffs

Mar 4, 2019

Richfield, MN- With a split series against the Kenai River Brown Bears, the Magi remain at the top of the Midwest division, and have clinched their berth into the 2019 Robertson Cup Playoffs.

Kenai River opened up scoring on Friday night, after Alex Klekotka scored on the power play halfway through the second period. Jackson Jutting (Prior Lake, MN) answered with a goal of his own, tallying his first point after returning from his high school season. Jutting’s goal was assisted by Chris Konin and Mo Wirth. However, the Brown Bears went on to add two more goals, scored by Cody Moline and an empty net goal scored by Logan Ritchie. Haider faced 27 shots over the course of the game, stopping all but two.

On Saturday night the Magicians came back swinging, putting themselves ahead during the second period. Jutting added his second goal of the weekend, assisted by Konin and Ben Schultheis, followed by power play goal from  TJ Sagissor (Stillwater, MN), who was assisted by Schultheis and Konin. The Brown Bears cut the lead in half with a goal from Klekotka, but the Magi ended the period up 2-1.

Colin West (Plymouth, MI) struck early in the third, increasing the Magi lead to 3-1, and recording his first goal as a Magician. Kenai added two of their own to tie up the game, scored by Markuss Komuls and Justin Daly, but the Magi weren’t done yet. Cameron Buhl scored on the power play, after Kenai’s JJ Boucher was assessed a four minute double minor after high sticking Tino Passarelli. Buhl’s goal was assisted by Matt Stanton and Andrew Kruse. TJ Sagissor scored the final Magi goal, again on the power play, to bring the final score to 5-3. The assist on Sagissor’s goal is credited to Ben Schultheis.

With the win on Saturday night, the Magicians became the latest team to clinch a spot in this season’s playoffs, joining the Aberdeen Wings of the Central Division, Johnstown Tomahawks out of the East Division, and the Amarillo Bulls out of the South. The Magicians sit on top of the division with 64 points, followed closely by the Fairbanks Ice Dogs, who have 62 points. The Magicians will face off against the fourth seed in the first round, but are focused on their upcoming trip to Alaska, where they will take on the Ice Dogs, and then head down to Kenai to play a three game series against the Brown Bears.

The Magicians will be back on home ice on Friday, March 22 against the Janesville Jets at 7:15pm. Make sure to follow the Magicians on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up with the latest news and developments! #FeelTheMagic