Ryan Ladika/MDN Ben Svangstu has recorded nine goals and 11 assists this season, representing one of six Magicians with 20 or more points.

Behind a revamped offensive front and a spotless final month of regular-season play, the Minot High School boys’ hockey team enters its Thursday Western Dakota Association regional tournament first-round matchup with Bottineau-Rugby in high spirits.

The Magi earned a share of the WDA regular-season crown with 47 total points in their 21 games, completing the campaign with a 14-7-0 overall record. Minot shares the honors with the Jamestown Blue Jays, who also racked up 47 points with a 17-4-0 final mark.

“We were really proud of the group,” Magicians co-head coach John Grubb said. “I think we were picked fourth or fifth in the region to start the season and we lost five of six of our defensemen and the starting goalie and a couple of key forwards. So it’s been great to see how the group has come along, and they earned their share of the region title.”

Indeed, Aiden Morelli, Riley Opperude and Casey Fjeld, three of Minot’s top four scorers a season ago, were all lost to graduation following the club’s state tournament quarterfinal defeat to Fargo South-Shanley Feb. 23. Only Jayden Luck was to return among the team’s four 20-point producers last season.

In the face of the loss of such a significant portion of the team’s offense, the now-senior forward Luck looked ahead and led a new, and arguably even more productive, Magi offensive attack throughout the 2021-22 slate.

Luck authored his third consecutive season with at least 28 points and was joined by fellow senior Zachary Diehl, juniors Jaxon Bradley, Brock Jones and Ben Svangstu, and freshman Mackley Morelli in reaching the 20-point plateau this year. Junior Caelton Eslinger rounded out the double-digit scoring with 12 goals and five assists in his 21 games.

Grubb pointed to the team’s improved potential and prowess on the man advantage as the catalyst for the increased offensive success. The club is averaging close to one and a half power play goals per game on the strength of a 30 percent success rate with the extra attacker.

“I think it’s been the power play has been really good for us, I think that’s where we’re seeing the increased production,” Grubb noted. “They’ve managed to execute a lot higher on the power play this year, and that’s been huge. Still like to get a little more five-on-five production, but we’re very happy with where the power play’s at at this time.”

Noah Conklin has also grown into his role as the team’s primary goaltender after taking a backseat to Tre’ Sortland a year ago. The senior has matched Sortland’s 14 wins last season with 14 of his own this year and boasts a goals-against average of 2.50 to accompany a save rate of 89.1 percent.

“I think he just needed the experience,” Grubb said of his netminder. “As he started to get some games under his belt, I think he’s found out what he needs to do and he’s shown up ready to compete every day. It’s been huge for us, we have a guy we can trust back there and we’re pleased with how he’s done.”

Within the seven consecutive wins the second-seeded Magi bring with them, dating back to Jan. 20, into postseason play is their only matchup against Bottineau-Rugby this year, a crucial six-point contest Minot took by a convincing 6-2 final score on the road Feb. 2.

The first-round matchup will feature a meeting of two of the more prolific offenses in the WDA. The Braves boast four of their own 20-point skaters, led by Colton Getzlaff’s impressive 41-point campaign that landed the sophomore the fifth-most points in the state. Ethan Siemens represents the second Brave to finish in the state’s top 10 in scoring with 10 goals and 29 assists for 39 total points, good for seventh-most.

Grubb’s message to the team ahead of the playoffs’ opening round has remained simple. He has stressed the need for his team’s play to begin out of their own defensive zone first, taking care of the little things like blocking shots and playing sound defense to continue laying a solid foundation on which to build its explosive offense.

“They have some very skilled offensive players,” Grubb continued. “Whoever’s line draws the assignment of playing against their top kids is going to have to be really on their game that night. The other lines are going to need to contribute on the scoresheet for us. We think it’s going to be head-to-head with their top group, their good players, and we just need to make sure we don’t lose that battle of a game.”