Bobcats Return Home to Face Surging Wings
Matchup: Bismarck Bobcats (28-15-1, T-1st Central) vs Aberdeen Wings (17-19-9, 4th Central)
Games: Friday, February 26, 7:15pm; Saturday, February 27, 7:00pm
Venue: VFW Sports Center, Bismarck, N.D.
Season Series: Bobcats lead Wings 8-0-0
All-Time: Bobcats lead Wings 43-14-10
Radio: SuperTalk 1270 AM, SuperTalk1270.com and the radioPup smartphone app, 6:45pm both nights
Internet TV: http://NAHL.FASTHockey.com, 6:45pm both nights
BISMARCK, ND – Deadlocked atop the tense Central Division standings, the Bismarck Bobcats will host one of the division’s hottest teams when the Aberdeen Wings come to town for a two-game weekend series, starting Friday at the VFW Sports Center.
Aberdeen rides into town on a season-high three-game win streak that has carried them into the fourth and final playoff spot in the Central.
“I don’t think anyone is surprised to see Aberdeen in a playoff spot right now,” credited Bobcat center Aaron Herdt, who leads the Cats with 44 points on 17 goals and 27 assists. “They’ve got strong goaltending, good defense and they work hard. They’re playing some good hockey right now, and we know they’ll be a hungry team coming into our barn this weekend.”
While Top Prospects forward Tucker DeYoung is the Wings’ top scorer with 32 points, center Matt Pulver has energized Aberdeen’s offense: scoring six goals—four of them game-winners—and adding 10 assists since returning to the lineup on New Year’s Eve for the team’s top mark in points per game at 0.89.
Netminder Peter Thome, meanwhile, has been the backbone of Aberdeen’s resurgence from last place to a playoff spot with 17 starts in the Wings’ last 18 contests with a league-best .930 SV%.
Center Alex Strand has the hot hand for the Bobcats, racking up four goals and three assists in his last three games to move within four points of Herdt’s team lead.
Goalie Hunter Shepard has paced the Cats in net with a 27-9-0 mark in his second NAHL season, with a 2.06 GAA and a .922 SV%. The Bobcats also announced Thursday that they have added Nick Althaus from St. Cloud, Minn.—a finalist for this year’s Frank Brimsek Award, given to the top goalkeeper in Minnesota high school hockey—to their final regular season and playoff roster.
Tickets are now on sale for Friday’s weekend opener: fans can buy and print tickets online 24 hours a day at BismarckBobcats.com, by clicking “Shop Now” on the team Facebook page or charge-by-phone at 222-3300.
Friday’s edition of the Titan Machinery Dakota Cup will be broadcast live 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—with pregame coverage starting at 6:45pm.
Season tickets are still on sale for the 2015-16 season at a pro-rated price; if you want to beat the rush of over 40,000 fans for this year, now is the time! Call 222-3300 to reserve your seats today.