Bobcats Seek Redemption in Wenatchee
WENATCHEE, WA – For the first time since the magical May of 2010, the Bismarck Bobcats are back in Wenatchee as they open a two-game set against the Wenatchee Wild Friday at the Town Toyota Center, looking to avenge a pair of September home losses against the West Division-leading Wild.
The last time the Bobcats were in central Washington, they left with their first-ever Robertson Cup in tow.
“Our franchise has some great memories here in Wenatchee, but that’s all they are: memories,” noted Bobcats head coach and general manager Layne Sedevie. “There isn’t anybody left from either team that played in the 2010 national tournament so we need to focus on the games in front of us. And the last time we played [the Wild] we let a couple winnable games slip away at home. We can’t do that this time.”
When the Bobcats and Wild faced off in late September at the VFW Sports Center, the visiting Wenatchee side rallied on consecutive nights for wins of 3-1 and 3-2 over the Cats. In each game, the Wild scored three unanswered goals for the road sweep.
The Bobcats will hope for a better showing from their special teams this time around: in the previous two contests the Cats went 0-for-8 on the power play while surrendering a power play goal and two short-handed markers to the streaking Wild.
“We made some key mistakes with some bad giveaways that can’t happen again,” stressed Sedevie. “On the ‘PP,’ we need to get back to executing well. We’ve improved lately on the power play but took a step back in Fresno (0-for-7 on the weekend). A lot of that comes down to execution: the chances have been there, now our guys need to bear down and finish.”
In net, the Bobcats have been buoyed by the return of Aaron Nelson; in three starts since coming back into the lineup, the Bismarck native is 3-0-0 with a 1.95 GAA and a .933 SV%.
With Nelson in tandem with rookie netminder Bryan Nies, the Bobcats have two goalies in their stable with GAA’s below 2.50.
On the other side of the ice, the Bobcats will be charged with trying to solve Wenatchee stopper Robbie Nichols, who comes into the weekend at 8-3-1 for the Wild. In their September meetings, Nichols allowed just one goal on 49 shots.
“Getting a good start offensively will be important: it’s a matter of confidence,” illustrated Bobcats assistant coach Garrett Roth. “Not just to get some momentum against a goalie who has done well against us; we won’t see him again after Saturday. We want to build more confidence offensively now that we’re into November with the heart of our division schedule still ahead of us.”
Following the two-game set in Washington, the Bobcats will play the remaining 44 games on their schedule exclusively against Central Division opponents.
The series lidlifter will begin Friday at 9:05 PM at the Town Toyota Center.
Friday’s rematch will be broadcast locally on the radio home of Bobcat Hockey, Super Talk 1270, KLXX-AM, and worldwide on the official internet television partner of the NAHL, FASTHockey, at http://nahl.fasthockey.com. Pregame coverage gets under way at 8:35.
Season tickets for the 2012-13 season are now on sale—and going fast! Call the Bobcat Hockey office today at (701) 222-3300 to reserve your seats for another great season of Championship Entertainment.