Sauk Rapids, MN- The Mason City Toros’ 2023-24 season concluded in a chippy, physical series finale against the Granite City Lumberjacks with a 4-1 final on Sunday night.
Mason City jumped out of the gates firing, outshooting the defending Fraser Cup Champions 12-7 in the opening stanza, controlling much of the pace of the opening stanza, but ultimately went unrewarded thanks to a stellar performance by Granite City goaltender Ryan Lehet, who stopped all 12 shots in the stanza while TJ Lepisto roofed a shot to put the Lumberjacks in the lead 1-0.
The game turned in the second period when Finn Greeley took a four-minute double minor penalty for high sticking. The Toros were presented their best chance to even the score, yet the Lumberjacks held them at bay for the duration and landed a dagger shorthanded goal off Joe Greniuk’s stick. Nolan Widman added one more goal for good measure to extend the lead to 3-1 going into the second intermission.
Miles Berg got the Toros on the scoreboard in the third period with a blue line shot through traffic. The goal was Berg’s 14th of the whole season and 59th point, making him the second leading overall scorer in the NA3HL among defensemen and tying him for fourth among defensemen in goal scoring. David Loahr and Carter Bollinger recorded assists on the goal.
Ultimately, the push fell a touch short. Granite City added one more goal to the counter from Parker Mitchell, and the game concluded at a 4-1 score.
Goaltender Devin Peck recorded a 30 save effort in the Toros net, bringing his playoff save percentage to a .947.
The Mason City Toros want to thank everyone who’s followed the team and the players all season. We’re excited to get started on the 2024-25 season.