The Minnesota Magicians (16-9-2) kicked off the month of December with a home & home series vs. the Coulee Region Chill (13-7-2) over the weekend, splitting a pair of games and remaining in 2nd place in the Midwest Division of the North American Hockey League (NAHL). The Magicians return home on Friday December 16th for their 4th Annual Teddy Toss event benefiting Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota at 7:15 PM.
After starting the new month on the road with a loss to the Coulee Region Chill, the Magicians returned to home ice on December 3rd for a rematch with the Chill in front of the largest crowd of the season at Richfield Ice Arena. After surrendering the first goal of the game to fall behind 1-0, the Magicians offense found a spark in the 2nd period and took control of the game. First, it was Caleb Hite (Assist: Will Hammer) scoring for the Magicians to tie the game with just over 5-minutes to play in period two. Shortly thereafter, captain Travis Brown (Will Hammer, Mitch Slattery) scored a beautiful powerplay goal to give the Magicians a lead heading into the final period of action.
In the third, the Magicians continue their offensive surge as Mitch Slattery scored early on a powerplay goal assisted by Tanner Tweten, who had returned to the Magicians lineup after a short stint on loan with the Cedar Rapids Roughriders of the USHL. Later in the final period, Slattery (Cam Buhl, Hunter Lellig) found the back of the net again to extend the Magicians lead, and Nikita Kozyrev (Caleb Hite, Travis Brown) finished off the scoring with the team’s fifth goal of the evening. Goaltender Ivan Prosvetov made 24 saves on 25 shots in the Magicians’ impressive 5-1 victory over the Chill, who are sitting right behind the Magicians in third place in the Midwest Division.
The Magicians now look forward to their 4th Annual Teddy Toss event benefiting Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota on December 16th at Richfield Ice Arena. Fans are encouraged to bring teddy bears and stuffed animals to the game and toss them onto the ice after the team’s first goal of the evening. The donated stuffed animals are all collected and donated to the local Children’s Hospitals. Because the donations are going to healthcare facilities, the Magicians request that all donations are in new condition and put in plastic bags before being tossed onto the ice on the 16th. Tickets and information are available at www.wisconsinjuniorhockey.com!