Monday Roundup: Game-Winning Strikes Lead to Weekly Honors for Piotrowski
Last Week:
Friday, January 9: Bobcats 4, Blizzard 3
Saturday, January 10: Bobcats 5, Blizzard 2
This Week:
Thursday, January 15: Bobcats at Minotauros, Maysa Arena, 7:05pm
Friday, January 16: Bobcats vs. Blizzard, VFW Sports Center, 7:15pm
Saturday, January 17: Bobcats at Blizzard, Larson Ice Center, 7:15pm
Piotrowski Named Divisional Star
FRISCO, TX – Thanks to a weekend that spanned three goals—including both game-winners in a home-and-home sweep of Brookings—the North American Hockey League named Bobcats center J.M. Piotrowski Central Division Star of the Week on Monday.
Hailing from Irving, Tex., Piotrowski has four goals since the calendars rolled over to 2015 and has stepped up on special teams, with a pair of those goals coming on the power play.
“J.M. is a big reason why we have had recent success,” lauded Bobcats head coach and general manager Layne Sedevie. “He has had some injuries he has had to overcome and it is great to have him back. He brings grit and a scoring touch that is needed for this team.”
Though Friday marked the first game-winner of the season for the former Bobcat draft pick, the Cats are 7-2-0 in 2014-15 when Piotrowski scores a goal.
Piotrowski’s nod marks the third time a Bobcat has received the division’s top weekly honor this season; goalie Alex Bitsakis claimed the hardware on October 20 and November 10.
With a three-point weekend of his own, Bismarck native Jared Spooner (2g, 1a) earned honorable mention for the award.
Goal-Oriented Alumni
As the collegiate schedule started to fill back out following the holiday break, 12 Bobcat alumni found their way onto scoresheets at the Division I and Division III levels—with nine alums finding the back of the net on the weekend.
2012-14 sharpshooter Stanislav Dzakhov scored his first collegiate goal for Niagara Saturday against Air Force while adding an assist; 2009-10 blueliner Dan Weissenhofer added an assist for the Falcons in the same contest.
Another 2009-10 regular, winger Ryan Jacobson, scored the game-winning goal for Brown on Saturday as the Bears topped Providence 5-3 to claim the 2015 Mayor’s Cup at Schneider Arena.
Matt Pohlkamp (2012-13) had a goal and an assist for seventh-ranked Bowling Green as the Falcons went 1-0-1 in Fairbanks against Alaska. 2010-12 goalie Tommy Burke appeared in relief Saturday, making 20 saves to help BG rally from a 4-1 deficit to salvage a tie and claim the road series.
Patrick Moore (2011-13) had the most points of any former Bobcat on the weekend with a goal and two assists for Wisconsin-Eau Claire to pace the 12th-rated BluGolds to wins over Marian and Augsburg.
Bismarck native Tyler Richter (2009-12) notched the game-winning goal for St. Thomas in a 1-0 shutout of Marian. The BHS grad also added an assist while Mike Dockry (2011-13) scored for the Tommies in a 3-0 upset of #4 Wisconsin-River Falls.
Other members of the black and gold fraternity to tally collegiate points on the weekend included: Nate Flynn (Augsburg, 1g); Danny Ray (Wisconsin-Stout, 1g); Kevin Becker (St. John’s, 1g); Charlie Aus (Concordia, 1a); and Adam Knochenmus (Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 1a).
In the pros, 2009-11 goalie Ryan Faragher went 2-1-0 in three ECHL apperances for the Utah Grizzlies—the AA affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks—compiling 82 saves to keep the Grizzlies in the thick of the Western Conference playoff hunt.
Coming Up
A three-game week looms for the Bobcats, starting with a 7:05pm intrastate throwdown with the first-place Minot Minotauros Thursday at Maysa Arena. Following the standalone game in the Magic City, the Cats will have another home-and-home series against Brookings that will lead off Friday at the VFW Sports Center.
Tickets are now on sale for Friday’s home contest: fans can buy and print tickets 24 hours a day at BismarckBobcats.com or charge by phone at 222-3300.
Live coverage of Thursday’s installment of the Battle of US-83 will begin at 6:40pm locally on SuperTalk 1270, KLXX-AM, the radio home of Bobcat Hockey, and worldwide online at NAHL.FASTHockey.com, the official web television partner of the North American Hockey League.
Though the 2014-15 season is now past the half-way mark, there is still time to order season tickets for the year; fans who want to lock in their seats for the entire campaign should call the Bobcat office at 222-3300 today!
