BISMARCK, ND – The Bismarck Bobcats are set for a weekend showdown with playoff implications on the line as they host the archrival North Iowa Outlaws for a two-game weekend series at the VFW Sports Center, starting Friday.
The series marks the Outlaws’ final trip to Bismarck during the regular season, where the ‘Cats currently hold a 4-0-0 record against them so far.
Both teams come into the weekend looking to solidify their current spots in the standings with the Bobcats (29-9-8, 66 pts) hoping to extend their eight-point first-place cushion while the Outlaws (13-25-5, 31 pts) are clinging to a four-point lead over Albert Lea for the Central Division’s fourth and final playoff spot.
“North Iowa has been going through a little drought lately,” said Bobcats head coach Byron Pool, “but we know we can’t overlook them this weekend. They’re a team fighting for their playoff lives right now.”
The aforementioned drought the Outlaws are experiencing comes in the form of an extended losing streak that has seen North Iowa go 0-14-3 in their last 17 games. Their last win was a 7-4 victory over the Owatonna Express on December 6th.
On the other side of the ledger, the Bobcats are 6-0-1 in their last seven games including wins over all four of their divisional foes.
Two Bobcats will have the unique experience of playing against recent teammates as Bismarck recently acquired forward Tyler Klein and defenseman Ben Danford from the Outlaws in a late-January trade.
“It will be nice to see all the guys that we formed friendships with out there,” said Klein, a Fargo native, “but our focus now is helping to get our team right now, the Bobcats, four big points and continue to get better as a team.”
Second-year Bobcat forward leads the hosts in scoring with 50 points on 18 goals and 32 assists while goalies Ryan Faragher and Jake Williams have combined for a 23-5-7 record and five shutouts on the season—including Williams’ 4-0 shutout of the Express last Saturday.
Team captain Ryan Bohrer is the Outlaws’ top scorer with nine goals and 29 assists; second-year goalie Keegan Asmundson sports a 2-9-2 record with a 3.73 GAA and a .888 SV%.
Both games start at 7:15 PM, with fans encouraged to bring their skates to Saturday’s contest for “Skate with the Bobcats” following the series finale where Bobcat supporters can meet their favorite players out on the ice for autographs and fun.
Friday’s 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.
BOBCAT HOCKEY
IT’S ADDICTIVE!