Five-Minute Snag Costs Bobcats in Minot
MINOT, ND – Leading late in the first period, the Bismarck Bobcats saw three straight goals go up on the board in a five-minute span wrapped around the first intermission and could not bounce all the way back, falling 3-2 Friday at Maysa Arena to the Minot Mintauros.
Alternate captain Nick Alexander posted the Bobcats to an early 1-0 advantage, slamming home a Tristan Ashbrook rebound on the power play just 4:13 into the game for his fourth goal of the year.
Unfortunately for the Bobcats, they could not escape the frame with the lead as a centering pass from Mintauro winger Derek Frentz bounced off of a defender’s stick and straight to a wide-open Alex Adams, who snapped the puck into the cage to tie the game with 1:21 to go.
Just 37 seconds of hockey later, Minot took the lead for good as Tyler Jeanson batted a loose puck out of mid-air that beat Bobcat goalie Camden Haugenoe inside the right post for a 2-1 score after one.
Minot capped their three-goal burst 2:51 into the second to make it 3-1 when rookie Spencer Zweiner zipped a low shot from the left-wing boards that snuck in low before the 6-fot-5 Haugenoe could close the five-hole.
In the third, Alexander cashed in another rebound on the power play—this time off a Jordan Fralich shot—to bring the Cats to within 3-2 with 14:32 to go.
A 5-on-3 power play for the Bobcats minutes later yielded a critical moment in the game when blueliner Tanner Breidenbach saw a golden opportunity ring the pipe.
Despite pulling Haugenoe late to bid for an equalizer, the Bobcats could not solve netminder Lucas Murray or the Minot defense, falling to the Minotauros for the first time all season by a 3-2 final and seeing their season-high losing streak hit six games.
Haugenoe made 25 saves but didn’t get enough help from the Bobcat offense to avoid the fourth loss of his rookie campaign. Murray improved to 1-2-1 against the Bobcats behind 28 stops.
With Friday’s result, the Bobcats’ point edge in the newly established Subway North Dakota Cup standings slipped to 6-3 over the Minotauros.
The Bobcats are off until Friday, when they will open a two-game home series against the surging Austin Bruins at the VFW Sports Center. Saturday’s home date will be Holiday Party Night—including Teddy Bear Toss 2016, where fans are asked to bring new stuffed animals to be thrown onto the ice when the Bobcats score their first goal. All stuffed animals thrown for Teddy Bear Toss will be collected and donated to Toys For Tots and the Sanford Hospital Children’s Wing.
Fans can buy and print tickets 24 hours a day for the Bobcats’ pre-Christmas tilts with Austin at BismarckBobcats.com or by calling 222-3300.
Also available at BismarckBobcats.com is the team’s 2016 line of clothing—just in time for Christmas—as well as the all-new Bobcat Bucks gift certificates!
Friday’s home clash will be broadcast locally on the radio home of Bobcat Hockey, Super Talk 1270 AM, and worldwide on HockeyTV.com–the web television partner of the North American Hockey League–with pregame coverage starting at 7:35pm.
Pro-rated season tickets are now on sale for the Bobcats’ landmark platinum anniversary campaign fans can get more information or reserve their seats for all of Season Twenty now by calling 222-3300.