Bobcat Weekend Preview: Cats Look to Right Ship as Alaska Trip Wraps
Matchup: Bismarck Bobcats (3-5-0, 5th Central) vs. Kenai River Brown Bears (4-6-0, T-4th Midwest)
Games: Friday, October 10, 10:30pm; Saturday, October 11, 10:30pm
Place: Soldotna Sports Center, Soldotna, Alaska
This Year: Series tied 0-0-0
All-Time: Series tied 3-2-1
Radio: SuperTalk 1270 AM, 10:30pm
Internet TV: http://NAHL.FASTHockey.com, 10:30pm
SOLDOTNA, AK – The Bismarck Bobcats will try and get back on track Friday as they open the final leg of their two-week Alaska road trip with a 10:30pm tilt with the Kenai River Brown Bears at the Soldotna Sports Center.
After dropping a pair of close decisions in Fairbanks last weekend, the Bobcats will be looking to snap a season-high three-game losing streak when they take on the Brown Bears.
“One of the biggest things our guys need to do in Kenai this weekend is to play a full 60 minutes,” asserted Bobcats head coach and general manager Layne Sedevie. “We’ve been able to put together one-and-two-period stretches where we dominate but come out flat in others. If we can improve our consistency, we’ll be in good shape.”
To wit, the Bobcats held a shooting advantage over the Fairbanks Ice Dogs of 15-6 in taking a 2-0 lead after the first period in Saturday’s game, but were outshot 32-11 in the second and third en route to a 3-2 defeat.
Facing a Kenai River team that boasts home ice advantage in the form of the league’s only Olympic-sized ice surface, the Cats hope to improve consistency with somewhat of a reductive approach.
“Big ice or small ice, we are focused on trying to play a simple game,” noted Bobcat goalie Alex Bitsakis, who sits seventh in the NAHL with a 1.76 GAA entering the weekend, “whether it’s me or Hunter [Shepard] in net or [skaters] on defense or in the offensive zone, the idea is making smart, simple plays.”
They will be facing a Kenai River side that has split four home games to open the season with an overall mark of 4-6-0. Just ten games into the season, the Bears already have four players with seven or more points—Tyler Andrews (2 G, 7 A), Maurin Bouvet (4 G, 4 A), Matt Rudin (3 G, 4 A) and Gustav Berglund 2 G, 5 A)—to pace an offense that ranks seventh in the league in goals scored.
“Our goaltending has been top notch, but our defense is going to face a big test this weekend against Kenai River,” admitted Sedevie.
Live coverage of Friday’s series opener will begin at 10:30pm 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!
