BISMARCK, ND – The Bismarck Bobcats rallied to force overtime but could not break through for a game-winner as they fell to the Albert Lea Thunder 2-1 in a shootout Saturday at the VFW Sports Center.
The loss ends the Bobcats’ three-game winning streak, but the ‘Cats (7-7-4, 18 pts) moved into sole possession of second place thanks to the standings point granted for the overtime loss.
Following a scoreless first period, the Thunder opened the scoring 7:21 into the second when J.J. Waldrop swatted a Brett Meyers rebound over a prone Ryan Faragher to install the Thunder to a 1-0 lead.
Waldrop’s tally halted Faragher’s two-game, seven period shutout streak that dated back to the third period of the Bobcats’ 4-2 win over Alexandria on October 23rd.
Faragher held the Thunder at bay for the remainder of regulation, giving his teammates a chance to rally.
Bobcat forward Casey Kleisinger made the most of that opportunity, lining a power play snap shot past Thunder netminder Ben Waalkens to tie the game at 1-1 with 14:19 left in the third.
The ‘Cats spent the majority of the third in the Thunder end after Kleisinger’s sixth of the year, but could not break through before overtime.
In OT, the Bobcats outshot the Thunder 4-0 but couldn’t find the game winner. The home side missed two scoring opportunities as Kleisinger couldn’t beat Waalkens on a mini-breakaway into the Albert Lea zone and Ryan Jacobson hit the post on a transition wrist shot.
After both teams missed their first shot in the decisive shootout, Kleisinger put the Bobcats on the board by squeezing a backhand short side on Waalkens.
The Thunder, however, responded by scoring three unanswered goals in the shootout on Faragher and taking home their third win of the year, 2-1.
Faragher finished with 15 saves but slipped to 5-3-3 on the season; Waalkens stopped 29 Bobcat shots to pick up his first win of 2009-10 (1-5-1).
The Bobcats now get a week of rest following seven straight weeks of games to open the 2009-10 campaign. The team returns to action with a two-game series with the Owatonna Express, starting Friday, November 13th, at 7:00 PM.
The game will be broadcast locally on the radio home of Bobcat Hockey, Super Talk 1270, KLXX-AM, and worldwide at BismarckBobcats.com via B2 Networks. The pre-game show starts at 6:30 PM.
You won\’t want to miss any of the games this season, so order your Season Tickets, Family Packs and Group Nights today by calling the Bobcat Hockey Office at 701-222-3300 or by e-mailing the office for more information at gobobcathockey@aol.com.
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