WATERTOWN, SD. (Friday, February 21st, 2025):
The Watertown Shamrocks delivered a stellar performance Friday night, taking down the division-leading Minot Minotauros with a 5-2 victory at Prairie Lakes Ice Arena! After falling behind early, the Shamrocks responded with five unanswered goals, turning the tide in front of an electric home crowd. Goaltender Mason Gudridge made his first career start in the NAHL, stopping 31 of 33 shots to secure the win. Offensively, the team spread the scoring around, with goals from Cam Markham, Eliott Mikesch, Joseph Rice, Spencer Sasenbury, and Antons Macijevskis leading the charge!
Special teams played a key role, as Watertown converted on its lone power-play opportunity while shutting down all three of Minot’s chances. Zach Boren set the pace with two assists, while the defense held strong to keep Minot off the board after the first period. This victory snaped Minot’s franchise record 13-game win streak and proved the Shamrocks can compete with any team in the league.
WATERTOWN, SD. (Saturday, February 22nd, 2025):
The Watertown Shamrocks fought hard but came up just short in a thrilling 5-4 shootout loss against the Minot Minotauros on Saturday night. The Shamrocks matched Minot stride for stride, with Travis Lefere leading the charge, netting his first career hat trick and first-ever franchise hat trick to keep the home crowd on its feet. It would be later announced that Lefere would be named the Central Division’s first star of the week due to his efforts. Cam Markham also added a goal and an assist, while Carter Sproule chipped in two assists to fuel the offense. Goaltender Mason Gudridge was stellar between the pipes, turning away 48 of 52 shots to keep Watertown in the game.
Despite a strong effort, the Shamrocks fell short against Minot in the shootout, with Owen Chartier scoring the lone goal for Watertown. The Minotauros capitalized on two shootout chances to seal the victory. With another valuable point in the standings, the Shamrocks take three for four points on the weekend and look to carry the momentum heading into their upcoming home series against the Minnesota Mallards February 28th and March 1st.