ABERDEEN, S.D.–Nearly four years had passed since the last time the Bismarck Bobcats returned from the Odde Ice Center with four points.
A combination of John Roberts and Atticus Kelly were in goal for the wins on November 9 and 10, 2018 in Aberdeen. On Saturday, the Bobcats’ offense backed up Linards Lipskis to a 6-4 victory in a seesaw affair.
Bismarck played what head coach Layne Sedevie called a “textbook” opening 15 minutes, taking a 2-0 lead on a pair of Evan Hunter goals. Then, matching minor penalties changed the course of the night. Aberdeen scored twice on the ensuing 4-on-4 situation to tie the game in a flash.
“We got away from what worked,” Sedevie said. “If you want to do that in this league, you are going to get punched in the mouth in a real hurry.”
The Wings controlled the early stages of the second period, too. Aberdeen struck twice more in the opening five-and-a-half minutes, gaining a 4-2 lead. A nearly full house at the Odde Ice Center would not get to celebrate for the rest of the night. Defenseman Michael Neumeier singlehandedly shot the Bobcats back to a tied game with back-to-back goals, both attempts finding their way through from the left point.
“Special teams got us back into it,” Sedevie said. “(Before) Neumeier’s goal, the bench was deflated.”
Both teams took the ice for the third knowing that the next goal could be the winning goal. For the Bobcats’ Julian Beaumont, it was just that. Beaumont dragged the puck through the low slot and tucked it into a half-open net to give Bismarck a 5-4 lead with 15:12 to play.
In the final two minutes, Hunter capitalized on a one-timer to score his third goal of the night and put the game to bed. The Appleton, Wis. native is the first Bobcat to record a hat-trick in the month of September since Lars Rodne in 2019.
“I told the guys in the room that you have to trust us,” Sedevie said on the team’s improvement from week-to-week. “We are going to score goals, but you have to buy in to what we are trying to do without the puck. We have to buy in to managing the puck in our own zone.”
The Bobcats play a home-and-home series against the Minot Minotauros next Friday and Saturday. The VFW Sports Center opens its doors for the team’s first home game on Saturday, October 1st. Tickets are on sale now.