BISMARCK, ND–Riding a four-game winning streak, their second longest of the year, the Bismarck Bobcats square up against rival Minot this weekend in a home-and-home series.
Friday takes the Bobcats to Maysa Arena in Minot for a 7:35 p.m. tilt. They return home Saturday to host the Minotauros at 7:15 p.m.
Four straight wins have pushed the Bobcats (16-7-2) to second place in the NAHL Central Division at 34 points, three behind Austin and two ahead of Aberdeen. Bismarck trailed by as many as 10 points just three weeks ago.
Stanislav Dzakhov (Moscow, Russia) took the team lead in goals scored after a power-play score during Friday night’s win over Brookings. He now has 13 goals, with Filip Starzynski (Warsaw, Poland) right behind at 12. Starzynski continues to lead the team in points, with 28.
Bismarck made a headline acquisition this past week, trading with Soo for Jacob McDowell (Dimondale, MI). McDowell, who started his NAHL career with the Bobcats as a 16-year-old, has 10 goals and 15 points in 28 games this season.
Minot (12-13-2) set a franchise record for consecutive wins with seven, a streak snapped by Aberdeen with a goal in the final minute of play Saturday. The streak saw two wins over the Bobcats, including the lone home loss for Bismarck this season during the last clash of the two foes November 27th.
Saturday’s game will be highlighted by the Bobcat’s Teddy Bear Toss, when fans are encouraged to toss teddy bears on the ice following the first Bobcat goal of the night. The bears will be collected and distributed to less-fortunate children as presents this Christmas season.
Tickets for Saturday night’s game are still available by calling 222-3300 or by logging on to bismarckbobcats.com. Both games will be heard on Supertalk 1270 KLXX, with pregame beginning 25 minutes before faceoff.