ALEXANDRIA, MN – The Bismarck Bobcats got three goals from their top line but couldn’t outduel the Alexandria Blizzard, falling 4-3 Friday at the Runestone Center.
Alexandria got started quickly when Alex Altenbernd poked in a Thomas Williams rebound for a 1-0 lead for the home side just 3:42 into the game.
Bobcats captain Matt Gates equalized for the Bobcats with 21 seconds left in the first, slamming home a Castan Sommer rebound—boosting the Cats to a 1-1 tie heading into the first intermission.
Top Central Division scorer Nardo Nagtzaam put the Blizzard right back in front at 2-1 51 seconds into the second, popping a backhand shot past Bobcat goalie Ryan Faragher.
Sommer forced another tie for the Bobcats with 9:37 to go in the second, banging a Nikolaj Rosenthal rebound through the legs of Blizzard netminder Jake Williams to make it 2-2.
Nagtzaam lifted Alexandria to another lead just 18 seconds after Sommer’s equalizer, popping in a Williams rebound for a 3-2 edge.
The Blizzard briefly extended their lead 11:06 into the third when Brent Bain stripped the puck from the Bobcat defense and converted a mini-breakaway for a 4-2 Alexandria advantage.
That lead lasted exactly 15 seconds; Gates earned his second of the night at the 11:21 mark when he blasted a low liner through a screen set by Sommer to chop the lead to 4-3.
The Bobcats merited a number of strong chances down the stretch, but former Bobcat goalie Williams held them off, earning Alexandria’s sixth straight win over the Cats.
The Cats will look to bounce back and earn a weekend split when they return to the Runestone Center for another 7:30 PM showdown against the fourth-place Blizzard.
Saturday’s contest 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 7:00 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