BISMARCK, ND – The Bismarck Bobcats salvaged three of four standings points on the weekend but saw a two-goal third period lead go by the boards as the Austin Bruins came back for a 5-4 win Saturday at the VFW Sports Center.
Leading 4-2 after two, the Bobcats saw their lead cut in half 7:05 into the third period—just five seconds after an Austin power play ended—as Charlie Adams fired a loose puck past Bobcat goalie Tommy Burke for a 4-3 game.
The Bobcats’ lead vanished with just 11 seconds left when Cody Hotchkin poked home an Adams rebound on the power play, as Emerson Auvenshine served a hooking infraction, tying the game and forcing overtime.
During the extra frame, the Bobcats killed off consecutive penalties to force the shootout. The late string of penalties frustrated head coach Layne Sedevie.
“I thought that [referee Andrew Suhovic] called a great game until [Austin head coach Chris Tok] started yelling at him,” said Sedevie, “then he changed his whole tune. I’d be perfectly happy if [Auvenshine’s slash] was a penalty for sixty minutes, but the fact of the matter is that it wasn’t a penalty five minutes before that.”
In the shootout, Austin shooters Hotchkin and Trevor Waldoch both connected while all four Bobcat shooters failed to score, giving the Bruins the unlikely come-from-behind win, 5-4.
The Bobcats started well, scoring the first two goals on a Bryce Schmitt strike just 1:09 into the game followed by a Castan Sommer power play tally with 8:07 left in the opening frame.
Austin answered, however, with the next two goals as Jordan Greenberg made it 2-1 2:43 after Sommer’s marker and James Dickinson merited the equalizer 1:09 into the second off a Hotchkin rebound.
It was the Cats, though, who scored the next pair: Donald Olivieri bombed a 40-footer past starting goalie AJ Underwood 23 seconds after the Bruins tied it, followed by a power play goal from Matt Gates that boosted the Cats to a 4-2 lead and chased Underwood—battling injuries—from the contest.
Garrett Patrick, the Bruins’ emergency goalie called up from Omaha of the NAPHL, supplanted Underwood and proceeded to stop all 20 shots efforted his way plus four more in the shootout to secure his first NAHL win.
Burke, in only his second start for the Cats, made 28 saves but fell to 0-1-2 on the year.
The Bobcats need to regroup quickly, now, as they open a three-game road swing Thursday against the Owatonna Express at 7:00 PM from the Four Seasons Centre.
Friday’s road contest will be broadcast locally on the radio home of Bobcat Hockey, Super Talk 1270, KLXX-AM, and worldwide at http://nahl.fasthockey.com/. As with all away games during the 2010-11 season, fans are encouraged to view the game at Reza’s Pitch—the official away game Home of the Bobcats—at the corner of Third and Front in Bismarck. Pre-game coverage will begin at 6:35 PM CT.
Season tickets are now on sale for the 2010-11 season! Call the Bobcat Hockey office at (701) 222-3300 or email gobobcathockey@aol.com for more information on reserving your seats for the entire season as the Bobcats look to defend the Robertson Cup!
BOBCAT HOCKEY
2010 ROBERTSON CUP CHAMPIONS