Bobcat Weekend Preview: Rivalry Month Opens against Wings, Tauros
Matchups: Bismarck Bobcats (12-13-1, 4th Central) vs. Aberdeen Wings (13-12-1, 3rd Central); Minot Minotauros (15-7-3, 1st Central)
Games: Friday, December 5, 7:15pm; Saturday, December 6, 7:35pm
Place: VFW Sports Center, Bismarck, N.D.; Maysa Arena, Minot, N.D.
This Year: Bobcats lead Wings 2-0-1; Minotauros lead Bobcats 2-0-1
All-Time: Bobcats lead Wings 31-12-8; Bobcats lead Minotauros 27-8-4
Radio: SuperTalk 1270 AM, 6:45pm Friday; 7:05pm Saturday
Internet TV: http://NAHL.FASTHockey.com, 6:45pm Friday; 7:05pm Saturday
BISMARCK, ND – To close out the calendar year 2014, the Bismarck Bobcats will face their two biggest rivals—the Aberdeen Wings and Minot Minotauros—a combined seven times, starting with a Friday home game this week against Aberdeen and a Saturday road date with the Minotauros.
If the Bobcats want to build on a 6-3-1 November, they’ll need to turn around a home-team jinx Friday against Aberdeen: so far this season, the Bobcats have faced the Wings and Tauros a combined six times, with the home teams submitting an aggregate record of 0-4-2.
Coming into the weekend, the Bobcats sit just two points behind the Wings for third place in the wide-open Central Division thanks to a 3-1-0 surge by the Cats and a four-game home stand for Aberdeen that saw the Wings go 1-2-1.
Aberdeen, however, is a different team on the road: in 2014-15 the Wings are 7-2-0 in divisional away games—including a 5-4 overtime win against the Bobcats on November 15.
The Wings continue to be led offensively by the high-powered trio of Kyle Haak, Michael Soucier and Ronnie Hein, who have combined for 22 goals and 32 assists—over one-third of Aberdeen’s total points this season (60-98—158). Veteran Bjorn Sigurdarsson had four goals in November to pull within one of the team lead for Aberdeen (Soucier, 8).
While the Wings struggled to close out November, Minot hit another gear to wrap up 2014’s penultimate month, going 3-0-1 with a plus-11 goal differential to surge into first place. The Minotauros added a 3-2 win over Brookings Thursday to extend their lead over second-place Austin to four points heading into the weekend.
Rookie phenom Blake Lizotte has been Minot’s shining star with 13 points (3g, 10) over the course of an active six-game point streak; the 16-year-old leads all Central Division scorers with 31 points—good for third league-wide.
Bobcat winger Evan Giesler has stepped up in the extended absence of his co-captain, Cullen Willox, with five goals and two assists since Willox went out injured; thanks to a nine-tally November, Giesler is now fourth in the NAHL in goals with 16.
Tickets are now on sale for Friday’s installment of the Titan Machinery Dakota Cup: fans can buy and print tickets 24 hours a day at BismarckBobcats.com or charge by phone at 222-3300.
Live coverage of Friday’s series opener will begin at 6:45pm locally on SuperTalk 1270, KLXX-AM, the radio home of Bobcat Hockey, and worldwide online at NAHL.FASTHockey.com, the official web television partner of the North American Hockey League.
Though the 2014-15 season is now under way, there is still time to order season tickets for the year; fans who want to lock in their seats for the entire campaign should call the Bobcat office at 222-3300 today!
