BISMARCK, ND – With a shot at their third regular season Central Division crown in the last four seasons possible, the Bismarck Bobcats will welcome the Austin Bruins for a one-off game at 7:15 PM Saturday night at the VFW Sports Center.
Staring down a magic number for clinching the Central Division of four over Alexandria coming into Saturday, the Bobcats need only a win against Austin and a regulation loss by the second-place Blizzard—who stunned Aberdeen with three goals in the final 79 seconds of regulation to win 4-2 Friday—to seal the division title.
“The division and home ice are important, of course, but our biggest goal is being ready for the playoffs,” explained Bobcats defenseman and Bismarck native Dan Kovar. “If we play our game and continue to improve heading into April, things like home ice will come naturally.”
The Cats’ magic number for home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs is down to one over Austin.
Austin, however, comes into Saturday’s contest on a seven-game tear—their longest win streak of the year—that has propelled them to within of four points of the Blizzard in the ever-tightening race for second place in the Central.
“They’re playing some good hockey at the right time and have become a team that will cause some big problems for everyone else,” pointed out Bobcats head coach and general manager Layne Sedevie, “not just in March but into April.”
Sedevie’s charges have put together a run of 4-0-1 of their own with four weeks left to go to put themselves on the brink of another regular season crown.
The Bobcats’ latest charge has been paced offensively by blueliner Donald Olivieri, who has five goals and two assists in that five-game span. Olivieri’s fellow defenseman John Furgele secured the league’s number three Star of the Week after five assists last weekend.
Saturday’s contest will be broadcast locally on the radio home of Bobcat Hockey, Super Talk 1270, KLXX-AM, and worldwide on the official internet television partner of the NAHL, FASTHockey, at http://nahl.fasthockey.com. Pregame coverage gets under way at 6:45 PM.
Season tickets are still available for the second half of the 2011-12 season—and going fast! Call the Bobcat Hockey office at (701) 222-3300 or email gobobcathockey@aol.com for more information on reserving a pro-rated package for the rest of the season!