Power Play Bounces Back to Key Bobcats’ Come-from-Behind Victory
MINOT, ND – After surrendering a shorthanded goal that left them trailing in the first intermission, the Bismarck Bobcats’ power play redeemed itself and more: scoring twice en route to a 4-1 come-from-behind win Saturday over the Minot Minotauros at Maysa Arena.
Behind 1-0 in the second period, the Bobcats broke the spell of Minot goalie Tanner Holmes—who had compiled 84-plus minutes of shutout hockey against the Cats—as co-captain Evan Giesler bashed in a Logan Rivard rebound on the power play 4:28 into the middle frame to knot the score at one.
That tie would last over 25 minutes of hockey until the 10:00 mark of the third when another Bobcats man advantage turned the tide for good on Matt Perry’s 10th tally of the year; the second-year winger snapped a one-timer from Harrison Aide that snuck past Holmes inside the left post to lift the Cats to their first lead of the night at 2-1.
Just 63 seconds later, the differential grew to 3-1 when Cullen Willox sprang Giesler on a 1-on-1 rush that the Naperville, Ill., native converted by racing past the defender and tucking a backhander low to the left after Holmes committed to the right.
Veteran blueliner Tony German would put an exclamation point on the Bobcats’ four-goal surge, floating a shot around a Jared Pike screen that beat Holmes glove side to stretch it to a 4-1 game with 4:16 to go in the game.
From there, the Bobcat defense clamped down: not allowing a shot to make it through to netminder Hunter Shepard after German’s third marker of the season to seal up the Cats’ third straight win. In fact, Minot did not manage a single shot after Jon Lizotte was denied by Shepard on the power play with 7:12 left in regulation.
Though the power play finished 2-for-7 Saturday, including Perry’s eventual game-winner, the Bobcats’ first power play ended up with the puck in the wrong net with Tauros center Colton Kramer getting free on a shorthanded 2-on-1 and outmaneuvering Shepard with a backhander that lifted Minot to a 1-0 lead with 4:06 on the clock in the first.
Kramer’s score would be the last that the high-flying Tauros would get by Shepard, who stopped the last 13 shots he saw—making a total of 24 saves to pick up his second win in his last three starts. Holmes slipped to 5-5-1 despite 20 stops.
Rivalry Month rolls on for the Bobcats Friday as they hit the road to face the Aberdeen Wings for a 7:15pm tilt at the Odde Ice Center.
Live coverage of the fifth round of the Titan Machinery Dakota Cup will begin at 6:45pm 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 under way, 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!
