Mason City, IA- The Mason City Toros are excited to announce their schedule for the 2024 NA3HL Showcase to be held in Blaine, Minnesota. The Toros will play three non-divisional opponents at the National Sports Center’s Super Rink, in Blaine between December 15th, 16th, and 17th. This is the 14th annual edition of the NA3HL Showcase.
On December 15th, the Toros take on the Wisconsin Woodsman at 8:45 PM on Rink 3. The Woodsmen are in their second season being based in Tomah, Wisconsin, and are one of two Central Division teams the Toros will face. Wisconsin enters the upcoming weekend fourth in their division with an 11-5-2-1 record and 25 points. The Woodsmen boast a +23 goal differential, the best of any team the Toros will face during the 2024 NA3HL Showcase. Hugh Deinema (13G/16A/29P, 19GP) and Nolan Mix (13G/12A/25P, 19GP) are the top scorers for the Woodsmen and are both in their second seasons in Tomah. Tristen May-Robinson (6G/10A/16P, 17GP) is the NA3HL’s 11th leading scoring defensemen. Steven Kelley has taken the majority of the games in net for the Woodsmen, with 10 games as the starting goaltender, and a .906 save percentage.
On December 16th, the Toros matchup with the Bozeman Ice Dogs. The Ice Dogs, coming from Bozeman, Montana, are a Frontier Division unit who sits at 5th in their division with a 11-9-1-1 record. Devin Bruns (13G/17A/30P, 22GP) leads the team in scoring and is followed by Andrew Kaunas (10G/13A/23P, 22GP) and Alex Steckelberg (10G/11A/21P, 22GP). Wes Weisenburger (9A/9P, 22 GP) is the top scoring defenseman and Brett DeVincent (.921 SV%/3.23 GAA, 12 GP) is the top netminder for the Ice Dogs.
On December 17th, the Toros close their showcase trip with a matchup against the Rochester Grizzlies on Rink 4 at 3 PM. This is the second Central Division Team the Toros face and a renewal of a division rivalry from last season. The Grizzlies and Toros met eight times last season with Mason City recording a 2-5-1 record and claiming the last two matchups against Rochester. The Grizzlies sit at 3rd in the Central with a 12-7-2 record and 21 points. Noah Gillette (8G/11A/19P, 19GP) leads the Grizzlies in scoring and is followed by Aiden Emerich (4G/13A/17P, 19GP). Emerich, a second year Grizzly, only got into one game against the Toros last season and recorded one assist.
In the last three seasons, the Toros have recorded a 7-2 record in nine previous NA3HL Showcase games in Blaine. Last season, the first under current Head Coach Mark Hicks, the Toros went 2-1 at the showcase, shutting out the Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks 3-0, dominating the Louisiana Drillers 8-2, and falling to the Badlands Sabres 4-1.
Marcus Fritel (14G/15A/29P, 21GP) leads the Toros in scoring and ranks as a Top 20 goal scorer in the NA3HL. Parker McInroy (7G/10A/17P, 24GP), Teis Larsen (6G/11A/17P, 24GP), and Kellen Kantaris (10G/6A/17P, 24GP) follow on the scoring list. Kantaris, a Mason City native, and Larsen have both been named as West Division Stars of the Week during this season, joining Captain Marcus Fritel as the most recent honoree. Sam Menne (1G/15A/16P, 24GP) ranks as the top scoring defenseman on the team and is top five in the NA3HL in assists among defensemen.
Before heading to Blaine, the Toros take the ice for three games in three days this upcoming weekend against the Willmar WarHawks, with the first two duels on Friday and Saturday being at the Willmar Civic Center and the third on Sunday at the Mason City Arena at 12:30 PM. The Toros look to build momentum heading into Blaine after getting a win last Saturday against the Granite City Lumberjacks.