Shepard Claims Divisional Honor with Stingy Weekend
FRISCO, TX – For the second straight week, a Bismarck Bobcat has earned the Central Division Star of the Week award as goaltender Hunter Shepard got the nod from the North American Hockey League Monday.
The Cohasset, Minn., native stopped 51 of 52 shots sent his way on the weekend—including his third shutout of the season on Friday—to help the Cats sweep their trip through South Dakota against Aberdeen and Brookings.
“We've felt all year that Hunter is one of the best goalies in the league, and so far this season he has been the backbone of our success,” hailed Bobcats head coach and general manager Layne Sedevie. “This weekend he came up with huge saves in close games to give our team a chance to win both nights.”
With his victory in net on Saturday over the Blizzard, Shepard matched his win total from all of 2014-15 at 14—tied for second-most in the NAHL this season (Justin Kapelmaster, Wichita Falls, 16).
Shepard follows Bobcat blueliner Patrik Demel, who won the same award last week; forwards Harrison Aide, Nick Alexander and Willie Brown have also been Central Division Star of the Week in 2015-16.
Also earning recognition from the league office Monday was center Aaron Herdt, who was an honorable mention for the weekly hardware after scoring one goal and chipping in four assists on the weekend.
On the ice, the Bobcats will play their final games before the Christmas break when they travel to face the Minot Minotauros for a 7:35pm Friday matchup at Maysa Arena before returning to the VFW Sports Center Saturday for a 7:15pm rematch against Brookings.
Saturday will be the Cats’ annual Christmas Party Game, including their third-annual Teddy Bear Toss.
Tickets are now on sale for Saturday’s Christmas Party Game: fans can buy and print tickets online 24 hours a day at BismarckBobcats.com or charge-by-phone Monday through Friday between 9:00am and 5:00pm at 222-3300.
Friday’s installment of the Battle of Highway 83 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.