FRISCO, TX – For the second time in the 2009-10 season, Bismarck Bobcats defenseman Sam Rendle has been named the Sherwood NAHL Central Division Player of the Week following a four-point weekend that helped propel the Bobcats to the top of the Central Division standings.
Rendle notched two power play goals and two assists as the ‘Cats went 3-0-0 over the course of a three-games-in-three-nights road trip that featured two 2-1 Bobcat wins over the Alexandria Blizzard and a 5-4 victory against the Owatonna Express.
“Sam gets better and better each weekend he plays,” said Bobcats head coach Byron Pool. “He has tremendous poise with the puck and sees the ice extremely well. He’s starting to become a regular contributor on the scoresheet, but more importantly he’s become rock solid in his own end.”
The Grand Rapids, Minn., native was also plus-two on the weekend.
Rendle, after notching just two points in his first 11 games, now has 12 points in his last 12 contests, dating back to the Bobcats’ 3-2 win over North Iowa on October 17th.
His offensive emergence has played a key role in the resurgence of the Bobcat power play, which has improved from last place league-wide on September 25th (4.8%) all the way to third overall following Sunday’s win at Owatonna with a 20% efficiency rating. Rendle leads the team in power play goals with four.
Overall, Rendle has 14 points on five goals and nine assists and is tied for eighth in points among defensemen in the NAHL.
He also picked up Central Division Player of the Week honors on November 2nd. It is the second straight week a Bobcat has been named Player of the Week (Sean McKenzie, Nov. 23) and fourth time in the last five weeks a Bismarck player has earned a weekly award from the league.
Rendle and the rest of the Bobcats return to action Thursday for a special Thanksgiving night game against the Alexandria Blizzard at 7:15 PM at the VFW Sports Center.
The game will be broadcast locally on the radio home of Bobcat Hockey, Super Talk 1270, KLXX-AM, and worldwide at BismarckBobcats.com via B2 Networks. The pre-game show starts at 6:45 PM.
You won\’t want to miss any of the games this season, so order your Season Tickets, Family Packs and Group Nights today by calling the Bobcat Hockey Office at 701-222-3300 or by e-mailing the office for more information at gobobcathockey@aol.com.
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