BISMARCK, ND – On the day before Thanksgiving, the Bismarck Bobcats made a pair of moves to improve offensively and defensively heading into December.
First, the Bobcats acquired forward Gavin Hartzog and defenseman Tom McCarthy from the Fargo Force of the USHL for future considerations.
Hartzog, a 6’3” 210 lb. native of Pewaukee, Wisc., is a 19-year-old University of Wisconsin recruit. A part of the 2009 Clark Cup runner-up squad in Fargo, Hartzog registered a goal and three assists with the Force in 2009-10.
“Gavin is really great skater and you know if he’s going to be playing for Mike Eaves at Wisconsin that he’s got a great skill set,” said Bobcat head coach Byron Pool. “We really like what he brings to the table and know he’ll be a big part of our front line going forward.”
McCarthy, from Maple Grove, Minn., was also a part of the Force team that made the Clark Cup finals last season. The 6’0” 215 lb. blueliner sported a +2 rating in USHL play before coming to Bismarck.
“Tom is a rock-solid, stay-at-home-style defenseman,” said Pool, “he’s a hard worker, so we know he’s going to it in perfectly with our style of hockey defensively. He excels at doing all those little, important things in his own end that helps a team win.”
The other move the ‘Cats made was to sign 6’2” 190 lb. former Lincoln Stars (USHL) defender Dan Weissenhofer.
“Dan is also a strong skater and has the potential to be a high-end defender in our league,” added Pool. “We like his size and his skill and bringing him, along with Tom McCarthy, gives us a really deep defensive unit going forward.”
All three Bobcat acquisitions will be in uniform as the first-place ‘Cats welcome the Alexandria Blizzard on Thursday for the first-ever Thanksgiving Day Game at 7:15 PM.
The Bobcats are 4-0-0 against the Blizzard in 2009-10 including a two-game sweep at the Runestone Center this past weekend that featured two 2-1 Bobcat wins.
In those four games, Bobcat forward Dominic Panetta has netted two goals along with three assists while goalie Ryan Faragher is 3-0-0 against the Blizzard with a 1.00 GAA, a .956 SV% and a shutout vs. Alexandria.
For the Blizzard, goalie Chris Kamal leads the NAHL in GAA with a 1.89 mark while posting a .933 overall SV%. Against the Bobcats, though, Kamal has posted a 0-3-0 record.
The doors open for the special holiday evening contest at 6:15 PM.
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 6:45 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.
Photo by Robert J. Meyer, USHL
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