The Aberdeen Wings tried their best to erase a two-goal deficit, but the Minot Minotauros would not be denied the victory and hung on to win, 4-3.

Minot made the score 4-2 on a goal by Alexander Kasitsyn at 3:41 in the third period, and Aberdeen got as close as 4-3 when Jake Horton scored 17:57 into the third period.

The Minotauros were led by Kasitsyn, who had one goal.

Minot cashed in on power play opportunities, scoring two goals on three chances. The defensemen of the Minotauros were also effective in the Wings' zone, and came away with two goals. Minot put 44 shots on net during the contest, more than the 21.9 it averages per game.

Minot also got points from Michael Bigelbach, who also tallied one goal and two assists to lead the team in points. Minot also had goals scored by Colton Kramer and Max Pernhem, who each put in one. More assists for Minot came via Kyle Kruenegel, who had two and Jake McCann, Jadin Martin, Tyler Shipstad, and Scott Smoot, who each chipped in one.

Aberdeen failed to reach its usual level of shot production, putting 18 pucks on goal after averaging 22.6 shots per game this season.

The Wings were led by Jonathan Grebosky, who registered two goals and one assist. Grebosky scored the first of his two goals at 14:52 into the first period to make the score 2-1 Minot. Grebosky's next tally made the score 2-2 with 2:39 left in the first period. Aberdeen had gotten the advantage when the Minotauros' Kramer was sent off for holding. Ryan Cook picked up the assist. Other players who recorded assists for Aberdeen were Kyle Haak and Erik Baskin, who contributed one a piece.

Merrick Madsen made 15 saves for Minot on 18 shots. The Minotauros incurred six minutes in penalty time with three minors. The Wings' Chad Catt stopped 40 shots out of the 44 that he faced. Aberdeen incurred 16 minutes in penalty time with three minors. The Wings ran into serious disciplinary problems during the contest, and Daniel Billett was ejected from the game.