OWATONNA, MN – The Bismarck Bobcats mounted a two-goal third period rally to storm past the Owatonna Express 2-1 Friday at the Four Seasons Centre.
With the win, the Bobcats (18-8-1, 37 pts) pull three points ahead of both the Express (15-11-4, 34 pts) and the Coulee Region Chill (16-7-2, 34 pts) for the top spot in the Central Division.
Trailing 1-0 after two periods, the Bobcats got a lift from their snake-bitten power play just 3:12 into the third when Charlie Mosey caught Express goalie Charlie Williams leaning to the far post and fired a low snap shot inside the near post to tie the score.
The Bobcats pulled ahead for good just under eight minutes later as captain Matt Gates blocked a 40-foot shot in the Bismarck zone and fed a long pass to Dan Zawacki behind the Express defense for a breakaway. Zawacki converted the breakaway chance, poking a backhand through Williams’ legs for a 2-1.
“Getting that goal was a big boost for me,” admitted Zawacki. “I felt like I’d been struggling since the Top Prospects Tournament and, even though I’d been getting assists, it had been tough.”
Bobcat netminder Ryan Faragher made the lead stand up, making key stops down the stretch and getting a big lift from his teammates’ ability to hold the puck in the Owatonna end to seal the come-from-behind victory.
Following a scoreless first period, the Express pulled ahead early in the second when Faragher came out of the net and had an attempted clear intercepted by Owatonna’s Josh Royston. Royston’s shot at the empty net missed but Schyler Adams found the loose puck and jammed it into the vacated cage with 5:20 gone in the middle frame.
“As a coach I wasn’t pleased with our effort in the first two periods,” noted Bobcats head coach Layne Sedevie, “but our guys came out and battled and we pulled off a huge win.”
Faragher made 29 saves to lock down his league-best 17th win of the season while Williams suffered the loss despite 23 saves.
The Bobcats and Express will wrap up their two-game set and head into the holiday break with Saturday’s series finale at the Four Seasons Centre at 8:00 PM.
Saturday’s contest will be broadcast locally on the radio home of Bobcat Hockey, Super Talk 1270, KLXX-AM, and worldwide at http://nahl.fasthockey.com/. As with all away games during the 2010-11 season, fans are encouraged to view the games each night at Reza’s Pitch—the official away game Home of the Bobcats—at the corner of Third and Front in Bismarck. Pre-game coverage will begin at 7:30 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