Late Lead Doesn’t Last as Bobcats Fall at Home
BISMARCK, ND – Leading 2-1 after two periods, the Bismarck Bobcats watched the Brookings Blizzard score three goals in the third en route to a 4-3 home loss on Military Appreciation Night.
The Cats saw their slim margin erased just 4:56 into the final frame as Tyler Frischmon tallied his first of the year for Brookings, swatting home a Jimmy Morgan rebound to tie the game at two.
It took only 67 seconds after that equalizer for the Blizzard to take their first lead on the Bobcats since Halloween at 3-2 when Colton Schmidt redirected a point shot by Connor Spetz past goalie Hunter Shepard.
Bobcat captain Evan Giesler managed to pull the home side back into the game with 10:01 to go in regulation, swinging home a Tanner Salsberry rebound on the power play and knotting the game 3-3.
But bad luck did the black and gold in with 3:31 left, when a 60-footer from Joe Nathe was blocked from close range by Oskars Batna, but the puck deflected over Shepard and under the cross bar, giving the advantage back to Brookings at 4-3.
From there, Brookings retreated into a conservative defense: denying multiple zone entries and allowing just two long shots on goalie Eric Hancock over the ensuing three-plus minutes to preserve the final 4-3 score.
It marked the Bobcats’ worst defensive third period since opening day, when they also surrendered three goals to the Soo Eagles amid a 7-0 defeat.
On Veterans Day, two Air Force commits connected to open the scoring as Matt Perry cashed in a Joe Tyran rebound on the power play with 2:31 left in the first to push the Cats in front 1-0.
Rookie Jake Tomkowiak stretched that edge to 2-0 5:23 into the second, beating Hancock high to the glove side for his second goal in as many games.
Brookings battled back 3:20 later in transition thanks to an Oscar Odd backhanded put-back of a rebound from Schmidt to cut the Cats’ cushion to 2-1, setting up the game’s wild finish.
Shepard took the loss despite 30 stops. Hancock battled back to a 2-2-0 record against the Bobcats courtesy of a 39-save effort.
On Military Appreciation Night, the Bobcats wore special edition camouflage jerseys that were auctioned off following the game. The auction, combined with the sale of “Happy Stars,” raised $10,440 to benefit the North Dakota National Guard Foundation, serving our fallen heroes and their families.
The Bobcats will now enjoy a rare Friday off before hosting the Aberdeen Wings for a 7:15pm Saturday tilt at the VFW Sports Center. Through two games, the Cats lead the Titan Machinery Dakota Cup 4-0 over the Wings.
Tickets for Aberdeen’s first visit to Bismarck/Mandan are now on sale: fans can buy and print their tickets 24 hours a day at BismarckBobcats.com or charge by phone at 222-3300.
Live coverage of the Saturday’s rivalry showdown will begin at 6:45pm 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.
Though the 2014-15 season is now under way, there is still time to order season tickets for the year; fans who want to lock in their seats for the entire campaign should call the Bobcat office at 222-3300 today!
