Bobcats Return Home for Critical Clashes
Matchups: Bismarck Bobcats (18-22-2) vs Minnesota Wilderness (23-15-4); Brookings Blizzard (20-16-4)
Games: Friday, February 10, 7:15pm; Saturday, February 11, 7:15pm
Venue: VFW Sports Center, Bismarck, N.D.
Season Series: Wilderness lead Bobcats 4-1-0; Bobcats lead Blizzard 4-2-1
All-Time Series: Wilderness lead Bobcats 13-8-2; Bobcats lead Blizzard 32-15-5
Radio: SuperTalk 1270 AM, SuperTalk1270.com and the radioPup smartphone app (Bismarck market), 6:50pm both nights
Internet TV: HockeyTV.com, 6:50pm both nights
BISMARCK, ND – With just 18 games left in the regular season and sitting five points outside of a playoff spot in the Central Division, the Bismarck Bobcats are back at the VFW Sports Center for a big two-game weekend against the Minnesota Wilderness and Brookings Blizzard.
“Right now, you look at the standings and the games left and you could say that we’re already in ‘playoff mode,’” stressed Bobcats assistant coach and director of player personnel Garrett Roth. “We know that we’ve got the talent and the determination to make up the ground we need by mid-April—now it’s just a matter of putting it all together for two months.”
The Wilderness come into the weekend as the Central’s hottest team: Minnesota has won five straight including a February-opening home sweep of the division-leading Minot Minotauros.
Rookie center Michael Zuffante has been on a tear for the Wilderness, popping off six goals and adding four assists in 10 appearances since the calendar rolled over to 2017.
Minnesota has ridden the steady goaltending tandem of Luke Kania and Trevor Micucci to a comfortable six-point lead for second place in the Central standings, with the netminders combining for a 2.69 GAA and a .919 SV% in 2016-17.
Brookings, on the other hand, righted the ship with their two-game sweep of the Bobcats last weekend—halting a season-high six-game losing streak to keep pace with the surging Wilderness and Aberdeen Wings.
Cade Borchardt submitted four points on the weekend to earn Central Division Star of the Week honors. Borchardt (20g, 20a) and Paul Kotter (19g, 22a) are both members of the 40-points club for Brookings this season.
For the Bobcats, second-year wing Tobias Fladeby continues to lead the black and gold—and the Central Division overall—in scoring with 43 points on 20 goals and 23 assists.
First-year center Matt Barry has snapped out of a midseason funk in a big way: tallying four goals and six assists in the Cats’ last six games following an eight-game slump coming out of the Christmas break.
Tickets are now on sale for both home games this weekend: fans can buy and print tickets online 24 hours a day at BismarckBobcats.com or charge by phone during regular business hours at 222-3300.
Friday’s home tilt will be broadcast locally on the radio home of Bobcat Hockey, Super Talk 1270 AM, and worldwide on HockeyTV.com–the web television partner of the North American Hockey League–with pregame coverage starting at 6:50pm.
Pro-rated season tickets are now on sale for the Bobcats’ landmark platinum anniversary campaign fans can get more information or reserve their seats for all of Season Twenty now by calling 222-3300.