ABERDEEN, S.D.–The Bismarck Bobcats lost a tight rivalry contest to the Aberdeen Wings, 4-2, at the Odde Ice Center on Saturday.
Owen Dubois scored a shorthanded goal with 9:01 remaining to give the Wings a 3-2 lead. Aberdeen tacked on an empty-net goal to secure the victory.
The Wings, who had not played a game in 14 days, took advantage of the Bobcats’ 3-in-4 and struck twice in the first period. Bismarck proceeded to battle back, with Adam Pietila and Calvin Hanson both scoring to level the score at 2-2.
“If we get effort, quite frankly, that is all I care about,” head coach Layne Sedevie said. “The last 40 (minutes) we outworked them … We had our chances to tie it up late. I do not fault the guys at all.”
While Aberdeen finished with a slight lead in shots on goal, the Bobcats unquestionably played the better game in the second and third periods. The scene played out similarly to Friday night in Minot, with Bismarck not earning the points they feel they deserved.
This game brings an end to the most grueling week of the Bobcats’ season, three games played in four nights including back-to-back travel days.
“I liked our effort all three nights.” Sedevie said. “You score 16 goals in two games and feel like you used them all up … We just could not find the go-ahead goal or the game-tying goal when it was right on our sticks.”
Sedevie remained upbeat despite the 1-2 record for the week, with the Bobcats having given a consistently strong effort–and outplayed their opponent–all three nights.
The Bismarck-Aberdeen rivalry continues this upcoming weekend at the VFW Sports Center. The Bobcats host the Wings on Friday, December 2 and Saturday, December 3. Tickets are on sale now at tickets.bismarckbobcats.com.