The Mason City Toros end the regular season this weekend against the Granite City Lumberjacks at 7:30 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday at the Mason City Arena.
The top two teams in the West Division meet for the final time in the regular season but could meet again two weeks from now if both advance to the West Division Finals of the Fraser Cup Playoffs. Granite City can clinch the best record in the NA3HL with a pair of wins or with one loss and two losses by the Northeast Generals.
The Lumberjacks are the only division opponent whom the Toros do not have a winning record against. Mason City is 1-4-1-0 against Granite City but dealt the Lumberjacks one of their two losses this season with a 2-1 win on Oct. 1. Granite City won 38 consecutive games following that loss before losing to the Willmar WarHawks, 2-1, last Friday.
Seven of the 34 teams in the NA3HL have single-digit regulation losses. The Toros have faced four of those teams and defeated all of them at least once (Granite City, Rochester, Gillette, Northeast).
While Granite City split last weekend by bouncing back with a 6-1 win the next night, the Toros swept the New Ulm Steel with 3-1 and 10-1 victories to take all eight games in the season series. Carter Newpower scored three goals and added three assists to earn the West Division’s Star of the Week for the third time this season. Newpower is tied with Gillette’s Declan Young for the NA3HL’s lead in points with 88. Young and the Wild are finished with the regular season but the next closest player, Robby Rabroker of the Oklahoma City Ice Hawks, is only one point back with three games remaining.
Both games can be seen on Hockey TV. Tickets can be purchased at masoncitytoros.com or at the gate. Friday’s game is Support Your School Night. All school-aged kids get in for $3. The school with the most kids in attendance wins recess with the Toros.
