BISMARCK, ND – A season-high crowd of 1,553 roared its approval as the Bismarck Bobcats ran out to a fast lead and pulled away late on their way to a 4-1 win over the Owatonna Express Saturday at the VFW Sports Center, snapping a four-game losing streak in their regular season home finale.
“It’s great to go out and get a win here in our last home game of the regular season,” noted Bobcats forward Frank DeAugustine, who piled up three points Saturday, “not only for ourselves but for our fans, who have been great all year.”
The Cats got started 2:02 into the game as Dalton Spicer sped through traffic on a 3-on-2 and powered his own rebound past Express goalie Charlie Williams to post the home side to a quick 1-0 lead.
Bryce Schmitt doubled the Bobcats’ lead 4:35 into the second, snapping a face-off win from DeAugustine past Williams to make it 2-0.
The newly formed line of Schmitt, DeAugustine and Nick Miglio combined for eight points on the night and a +8 plus/minus rating.
“I really like the way Nick plays out there, and Frankie adds a really dangerous offensive weapon,” said Minot native Schmitt. “It’s a good balance of speed, rink vision and toughness—I hope we stay together the rest of the way.”
Owatonna cut the lead in half with 10:10 to go in regulation as an Andy Singerhouse power play pass deflected off Bobcats defender Danny Ray and past goalie Ryan Faragher for a 2-1 score.
The Bobcats weren’t content, however, to sit on the 2-1 lead as Nikolaj Rosenthal restored a two-goal advantage at 3-1 with 2:08 left in the game, redirecting a Castan Sommer shot over Williams’ blocker.
Express head coach Chuck Linkenheld pulled Williams for an extra attacker in the wake of Rosenthal’s insurance tally and DeAugustine made Owatonna pay, pouring his 19th goal of the year into the empty net for the final 4-1 margin.
As the teams combined for 83 shots on the night, it was the goalies that starred as Williams made 45 stops and Faragher saved 33 shots.
The win gave Faragher 30 total victories on the year in net.
“To be honest, I got into it early when the team had a singer come and do ‘O, Canada’ before the game,” Faragher remarked on his strong performance that included numerous jaw-dropping saves, including a game-changing stop on a point-blank chance from Nick Widing early in the third. “I teared up a little but it got me in the right mindset for a big game.”
Despite the win, the Bobcats were locked into fourth place in the Central thanks to Alexandria’s 4-3 win over Coulee Region on Saturday. They will travel to face either the Chill or Blizzard in the first round of the Robertson Cup Playoffs, depending on how Sunday’s games turn out.
The Bobcats will wrap up the 2010-11 regular season with a 5:00 PM matinee against the Blizzard at the Runestone Center. The Cats can play spoiler to Alexandria, who could win the Central with a win over the Bobcats and a regulation loss by the Chill.
Sunday’s season finale will be broadcast locally on the radio home of Bobcat Hockey, Super Talk 1270, KLXX-AM, and worldwide at http://nahl.fasthockey.com/. As with all away games during the 2010-11 season, fans are encouraged to view the game at Reza’s Pitch—the official away game Home of the Bobcats—at the corner of Third and Front in Bismarck. Pre-game coverage will begin at 4:30 PM CT.
Season tickets are now on sale for the 2011-12 season! Call the Bobcat Hockey office at (701) 222-3300 or email gobobcathockey@aol.com for more information on reserving your seats for next season!
BOBCAT HOCKEY
2010 ROBERTSON CUP CHAMPIONS