ALEXANDRIA, MN – The Bismarck Bobcats rallied multiple times but could not overcome a four-goal first period by the Alexandria Blizzard as the Cats lost a 6-5 nailbiter at the Runestone Center on Friday.
The Blizzard got their second hot start in as many games against the Bobcats as Tucker Coborn and Kevin McMorrow tallied goals within 34 seconds of each other to post Alexandria to a 2-0 lead just 5:59 into the contest.
Assistant captain Emerson Auvenshine pulled the visitors back into the game just less than three minutes later, taking a loose puck and rifling it past Blizzard goalie Jake Williams to cut the lead to 2-1 with 11:07 to go in the opening frame.
Bad luck beset the Bobcats after Auvenshine got them on the board when Blizzard defenseman Vadim Gyesberghs fired a 40-foot shot that Bismarck defender Dan Kovar tried to block but instead deflected past goalie Ryan Faragher, nudging Alexandria’s lead to 3-1 at the 8:29 mark of the first.
Grant Mindt bombed a defensive zone turnover by the Blizzard over Williams’ glove 1:16 after Gyesberghs’ goal to chop the lead to 3-2 but Alexandria’s leading scorer, Nardo Nagtzaam, beat Faragher—who had lost his stick on the play—with 1:03 left in the first to install the home side to a 4-2 to cap a wild first period.
The Blizzard gained their biggest lead of the night at 5-2 7:43 into the second on a broken play when converted defenseman Craig Lindegard found the puck on the right post of Faragher’s net off a broken play from Adam Knochenmus and spun it into the Bobcat net.
Auvenshine responded with his second of the night 3:05 later, blasting home a Bryce Schmitt rebound to close the lead back to two.
Charlie Mosey sliced Alexandria’s lead even further on a strong individual effort, crashing through the Blizzard defense and lofting a backhander over Williams 2:17 into the third—making it a 5-4 hockey game.
Alexandria forward Steve Zierke, though, pushed the lead back to two goals with 7:28 left in regulation, converting a power play 2-on-1 with Brent Bain for a 6-4 margin.
Bobcat forward Nikolaj Rosenthal pulled the visitors back to within one with 1:06 left on the power play—with Faragher pulled for an extra attacker—sliding home a Mosey rebound but the Bobcats would draw no closer, dropping their third straight game.
Faragher stopped 22 shots but suffered his ninth loss of 2010-11 while Williams picked up his ninth win on just 16 saves.
The Bobcats and Blizzard will wrap up their week-long three-game set Saturday at the VFW Sports Center with a 7:15 PM puck drop.
Saturday’s series finale will be broadcast locally on the radio home of Bobcat Hockey, Super Talk 1270, KLXX-AM, and worldwide at http://nahl.fasthockey.com/. Pre-game coverage will begin at 6:45 PM CT.
Season tickets are now on sale for the 2010-11 season! Call the Bobcat Hockey office at (701) 222-3300 or email gobobcathockey@aol.com for more information on reserving your seats for the entire season as the Bobcats look to defend the Robertson Cup!
BOBCAT HOCKEY
2010 ROBERTSON CUP CHAMPIONS