Bobcat Weekend Preview: Cats Face Win-or-Go-Home Game Three
Matchups: Bismarck Bobcats (30-26-4, 3rd Central) vs. Minot Minotauros (37-17-6, 2nd Central)
Games: Friday, April 10, 8:05pm; Saturday, April 11, 7:15pm (if necessary)
Place: Maysa Arena, Minot, N.D.; VFW Sports Center, Bismarck, N.D. (if necessary)
This Year: Minotauros defeated Bobcats 7-3-2
All-Time: Bobcats lead Minotauros 31-13-4
Radio: SuperTalk 1270 AM, 7:40pm Friday; 6:45pm Saturday (if necessary)
Internet TV: http://NAHL.FASTHockey.com, 7:40pm Friday; 6:45pm Saturday (if necessary)
BISMARCK, ND – With their 18th season of junior hockey hanging in the balance by virtue of a 2-0 deficit in the best-of-five Central Division Semifinals, the Bismarck Bobcats will head north to Maysa Arena to face the Minot Minotauros for Game Three Friday.
Coming into their seventh straight postseason appearance with typically high hopes, the Bobcats dropped Game One 4-1 last Friday on a four-minute second period flurry of Minot goals before allowing a shorthanded goal and an empty netter in the final six minutes of regulation Saturday in a disappointing 4-2 Game Two defeat.
Despite the bitter result, the Bobcats took a positive view of Saturday’s contest.
“Game Two is the closest we’ve had to a 60-minute effort we’ve had all season,” submitted Bobcats head coach and general manager Layne Sedevie. “One bad bounce and a broken play ends up in our net; things like that are the breaks of the game.
“Every last guy in that locker room knows we played well enough to win. Our goal is to put together another game like Saturday and let the chips fall where they may.”
The high-flying Tauros have been led offensively in the postseason not by usual suspects like Blake Lizotte, Christian Mohs or Johnny Walker; instead veterans James Mathias (1g, 4a) and Nick Monfils (3g) top the Minot scoring sheet.
Air Force commit Matt Perry’s two assists are good for the Cats’ scoring lead through two playoff games.
Should Game Four be necessary, it will be Saturday at the VFW Sports Center. Tickets for Game Four are now on sale as an online exclusive: fans can buy and print their tickets 24 hours a day at BismarckBobcats.com.
Live coverage of Friday’s do-or-die contest will begin at 7:40pm 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.
Want the first shot at Bobcats season tickets for 2015-16? Now is the time! Call the Bobcat Box Office at 222-3300 to reserve your tickets for next year now!
