BISMARCK, N.D.–The Aberdeen Wings defeated the Bismarck Bobcats 4-3 in a tightly-contested game at the VFW Sports Center on Friday.
Aberdeen’s Logan Gravink scored the overtime winner at 1:32 of the period. Neither team led by more than one goal throughout the contest.
“We played hard,” head coach Layne Sedevie said. “We fought back and found a way to get a point. If we can get two tomorrow, it is five out of six. Still a good weekend.”
The Bobcats did not replicate the commanding start they showed on Thursday, looking a bit tired to start the night. Thankfully, the first period ended in a 1-1 tie. Once the second period began, the tide began to turn.
“I think it took us a while to get going,” Sedevie said. “Once we got going, I felt like we started to dictate play again.”
Each period yielded one goal for the Bobcats: Calvin Hanson scored in the first, Chase Beacom in the second, and Patrick Johnson in the third. A 2-for-37 power play slump ended with a 2-for-4 night, too. Hanson and Johnson both scored a power play goal.
Sedevie only had 11 forwards to manage for a second straight night with Jake McLean and Logan Valkama being injured Thursday. Williston native Jackson Ekblad made his Bobcats’ debut to fill out four complete forward lines. Plenty of line shuffling took place throughout the 60-plus minutes.
“I just tried to read the body language on the bench,” Sedevie said. “See who was huffing and puffing. Sometimes, you have to mix and match with what you have, and it gets tough with so many penalties called.”
With a night of regular rest, the Bobcats look to turn the tables and win five out of six possible standings points. A victory in any fashion on Saturday night would do just that, and pull Bismarck to within one point of playoff position with 24 games remaining.
The Bobcats face off with Aberdeen at 7:15 p.m. from the VFW Sports Center. Tickets are on sale at tickets.bismarckbobcats.com. Fans can also tune in live on SuperTalk 1270 (free radio) and HockeyTV (with a paid subscription.)