Bobcats, Magicians Vie for Playoff Positioning in Weekend Clash
Matchup: Bismarck Bobcats (26-15-1, T-1st Central) vs Minnesota Magicians (17-21-5, T-5th Central)
Games: Friday, February 19, 7:15pm; Saturday, February 20, 7:00pm
Venue: Richfield Ice Arena, Richfield, Minn.
Season Series: Series tied 1-1-0
All-Time: Magicians lead Bobcats 2-1-0
Radio: SuperTalk 1270 AM, SuperTalk1270.com and the radioPup smartphone app, 6:45pm Friday; 6:30pm Saturday
Internet TV: http://NAHL.FASTHockey.com, 6:45pm Friday; 6:30pm Saturday
RICHFIELD, MN – With one side deadlocked in a first-place tie and the other just three points out of the Central Division’s final playoff spot, points will be at a premium when the Bismarck Bobcats make their first-ever trip to Richfield Ice Arena, to face the Minnesota Magicians for a two-game series, starting Friday.
It is the first time the two teams will have seen each other since a weekend set in late October at the VFW Sports Center, in which each side claimed a three-goal win.
“We haven’t seen the Magicians since before Halloween, and their roster is very different so we’re relying a lot on film scouting,” admitted second-year winger Harrison Aide, who leads the Bobcats in assists at 26. “What we do know is that they have dangerous players like [Casey] Jerry and [Pierce] Crawford so defense and puck security will be important this weekend.”
Jerry and Crawford—both Team Central representatives earlier this week at the NAHL’s Top Prospects Tournament—currently lead Minnesota in scoring with 35 and 28 points, respectively.
Netminder Will Ulrich has been a steady presence in net for the Magicians: posting a 13-12-3 record with a 2.82 GAA and a .918 SV% over the course of his first NAHL season.
Centers Alex Strand and Aaron Herdt—also Team Central selections—have led the Bobcats’ charge offensively of late, each posting three goals and four assists over the last five games to keep the Cats in a first-place tie with Minot atop the division.
Bobcat goalie Hunter Shepard bounced back from his first loss of 2016 Friday with a 27-save performance Saturday to improve to 25-9-0 in his second junior season.
The Bobcats’ first-ever contest in Richfield 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.