FRISCO, TX – Bismarck Bobcats forward Sean McKenzie picked up his first goal in a Bobcat uniform on Saturday and wasted no time in picking up his first league award in black and gold, securing the Sherwood NAHL Central Division Player of the Week award Monday.
McKenzie, acquired along with defenseman Matt Shost in an October trade with the Wichita Falls Wildcats, racked up seven points on two goals and five assists in two games against the Owatonna Express and Albert Lea Thunder. He came into the weekend with just one assist in five games for the ‘Cats.
“We were hoping when we brought Sean in that he would help bolster our offense,” said Bobcats head coach Byron Pool. “It took him awhile to get going, but he made up for it with a tremendous weekend.”
The Howell, Mich., native’s breakout weekend helped guide the Bobcats to a 2-0-1 record on the three-game weekend against the Express and Thunder. The five points the Bobcats collected in the standings pushed them into a first-place tie atop the Central with the Express.
After sitting out Friday’s 4-3 shootout loss at Owatonna, McKenzie tallied two goals and two assists—including the game-winner—in Saturday’s 4-1 win over the Express. The next night, McKenzie helped spark the Bobcat power play by posting three assists while the Bobcats had the man advantage as the ‘Cats cruised to a 4-0 win at Albert Lea.
It is the second time in 2009-10 that a Bobcat player has been named Central Division Player of the Week; defenseman Sam Rendle earned the honor on November 2nd.
McKenzie was joined on the weekly honor roll by Bobcat netminder Ryan Massa, who was named honorable mention for the NAHL Goalie of the Week award. Massa, seeing his first action since sustaining a neck injury at North Iowa on October 17th, went 2-0-0 on the weekend.
The Littleton, Colo., native earned his first shutout of the season in Sunday’s game against the Thunder.
The Bobcats return to action Friday when they start another three-games-in-three-days road trip with a 7:00 PM tilt at the Runestone Center against the Alexandria Blizzard.
The game will be broadcast locally on the radio home of Bobcat Hockey, Super Talk 1270, KLXX-AM, and worldwide at BismarckBobcats.com via B2 Networks. The pre-game show starts at 6:30 PM.
You won\’t want to miss any of the games this season, so order your Season Tickets, Family Packs and Group Nights today by calling the Bobcat Hockey Office at 701-222-3300 or by e-mailing the office for more information at gobobcathockey@aol.com.
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