ABERDEEN, SD — Facing a jam-packed Central Division where just seven points separate first place and fourth place and mounting injuries to over half of their defensive corps, the Bismarck Bobcats were bullish on the NAHL trade deadline market Thursday.
The Bobcats fired the first shot by acquiring forward Castan Sommer from the USHL\’s Dubuque Fighting Saints. Sommer, a 6\’3\” forward from Shrewsbury, Mass., played in 17 games in 2010-11 for the Fighting Saints.
\”Castan is a big guy at 6\’3\” and you can\’t teach that kind of size or length,\” noted Bobcats head coach Layne Sedevie,\”but he\’s also got skill and, most importantly, is a hard worker. We\’re looking for him to step in and become an impact player right away for us.\”
Hockey is in Sommer\’s blood, too, as his father, Roy Sommer, is the head coach of the AHL\’s Worcester Sharks; in January Roy coached his 1000th game in the AHL.
Sommer is expected to be in the lineup for Thursday\’s 7:15 PM contest in Aberdeen.
Facing injuries to four of his top defensmen heading into the second-to-last month of the regular season, Sedevie followed up his acquisition of Sommer by pulling the trigger on a four-player deal that sent defenseman Tom Rizzardo and forward Seth Johnson to the Texas Tornado in exchange for defensemen Rodney LaLonde and Donald Olivieri.
\”Donald is a high-end, skilled defenseman who is adept at moving the puck, and we\’re looking to him to come in and quarterback our power play,\” said Sedevie. \”Rodney is a big, stay at home defenseman with loads of toughness and a great work ethic. Being able to get both of these guys adds a nice mix of both offensive skill and stay-at-home mentality.\”
Olivieri has 27 points on 10 goals and 17 assists with seven of those goals and 12 assists coming on the Tornado\’s power play. LaLonde, a 6\’2\” 195 lb. presence from Utica, Mich., will help fill the void left by Nick Romanick\’s shoulder injury.
\”Not only did we make these moves this week to address needs caused by injury along our blueline,\” added Sedevie, \”but we wanted to send a message to our team, our fans and the rest of the Central Division that we are serious about defending the Robertson Cup.\”
Following Thursday\’s contest against the Aberdeen Wings, the Bobcats return home for two games at the VFW Sports Center: Friday against the Owatonna Express and then Saturday against the Wings. Both games are slated for 7:15 PM starts.
Both contests will be broadcast locally on the radio home of Bobcat Hockey, Super Talk 1270, KLXX-AM, and worldwide at http://nahl.fasthockey.com/. Pre-game coverage will begin at 6:45 PM CT.
Season tickets are now on sale for the 2010-11 season! Call the Bobcat Hockey office at (701) 222-3300 or email gobobcathockey@aol.com for more information on reserving your seats for the entire season as the Bobcats look to defend the Robertson Cup!
BOBCAT HOCKEY
2010 ROBERTSON CUP CHAMPIONS