FRISCO, TX – The Bismarck Bobcats are proud to announce their 60-game schedule for the upcoming 2012-13 North American Hockey League season.
As it did in 2011-12, the Bobcats’ schedule for the new season will feature 48 intradivision games against Central Division foes with 12 games outside of the Central.
As has become customary, the Bobcats will open the season at the NAHL Showcase at the Schwan Super Rink in Blaine, Minn., on September 12. At the Showcase, the Bobcats will play four games in four days against out-of-division opponents. The league will be releasing the full Showcase schedule at a later date.
Following the Showcase the Bobcats will open their home schedule with a pair of franchise firsts as they will host the Fresno Monsters for two games, including Coors Light Opening Night, on September 21 and 22. It will be the first-ever meetings between the Bobcats and Monsters.
The next weekend the Bobcats will welcome the West Division powerhouse Wenatchee Wild for games September 28 and 29. The two games will be the first time the franchises have met in the regular season; the Bobcats and Wild played each other in both the 2009 and 2010 Robertson Cup Tournaments.
“We are very excited to bring a pair of marquee West Division opponents to the VFW Sports Center for our fans,” remarked Bobcats team owner Thom Brigl, who has owned the Bobcats since 2001. “The Monsters are one of the most popular teams in the league [drawing a league-high 106,718 fans in 2011-12] and the Wild have been one of the league’s headlining franchises since their very first season [2008-09].”
Of the remaining 52 games on the Bobcats’ schedule, 48 will come against the 2012-13 installment of the Central Division, comprising the Aberdeen Wings, Austin Bruins, Brookings Blizzard, Coulee Region Chill and Minot Minotauros.
Brookings and Coulee Region aren’t quite newcomers, though, to the Central: the Blizzard are the former Alexandria franchise, having relocated to South Dakota from western Minnesota; the Chill return to the Central—where they were division runners-up in 2010-11—after spending a season in the Midwest Division.
The Bobcats will have another exciting slate of home holiday contests, starting Thanksgiving Week with a game on Wednesday, November 21, against the Wings and then the fan-favorite Thanksgiving Night showdown against the intrastate rival Minotauros. The Tauros will pay another holiday visit on New Year’s Eve as the two teams will close out 2012 with a battle of US-83.
In all, the Bobcats’ in-division slate includes 12 games against the Wings, 10 games against the Bruins, 10 games against the Blizzard, four games against the Chill and 12 games against the Tauros.
“Our division is going to be a real battle this season,” noted Bobcats head coach and general manager Layne Sedevie, entering his third season behind the Cats’ bench, “with Coulee Region coming back and Aberdeen, Austin, Minot and Brookings all improving it will be a tight race for four playoff spots—especially with more teams [six] in the Central this year than last year [four].”
A full copy of the Bobcats’ schedule for 2012-13 is available on BismarckBobcats.com.
The Cats’ busy offseason continues with their Main Tryout Camp, scheduled for July 27-29 at the VFW Sports Center.
Season tickets for the 2012-13 season are now on sale—and going fast! Call the box office at (701) 222-3300 to reserve your seats and be a part of another Bobcat Hockey run for the title today!