BISMARCK, ND – The Bismarck Bobcats got a big spark from their power play and a strong performance from goalie Ryan Faragher on their way to a convincing 3-1 victory over the road-weary Austin Bruins Saturday at the VFW Sports Center.
With the Bruins fresh in town for the game after getting stranded 70 miles east in Medina, ND, during Friday’s blizzard, the Bobcats pressed their physical advantage, banging bodies with the Bruins until Sam Dougherty put the home side on the board 4:56 into the game, getting loose on a long breakaway pass from Dan Zawacki and blasting a wrister over the blocker of Austin goalie Keegan Asmundson, making it 1-0 Bobcats.
“Sammy’s goal proved what a big advantage we have when we play physical hockey,” noted Bobcats head coach Layne Sedevie. “Sam leveled his defender and used the space that gave him to break out fast for Danny to hit him with a nice pass and a great finish.”
Moments after Ryan Faragher shut down a 2-on-1 scoring chance on Bruins leading scorer Charlie Adams early in the second period, Dalton Spicer tallied his first goal of the year as the Cats’ first power play expired—bouncing a low liner off Asmundson and in for a 2-0 for the Cats 2:01 into the middle frame.
Leading scorer Matt Gates added a power play strike six minutes later, crushing home a give-and-go pass from Dan Zawacki in the low slot to boost the Bobcats to a 3-0 edge with 13:50 to go in the second.
Jack Walsh spoiled Faragher’s shutout bid just 2:37 into the third, however, cutting the lead to 3-1 when he tapped in a James Dickinson rebound.
Faragher held firm the rest of the way, stopping the next 11 shots he saw on the way to his 29th win of 2010-11 behind 42 total saves.
“It was an easy 42 saves, in a way,” admitted Faragher. “That’s hockey, though, the ‘D’ gave me a good look at everything and the puck was looking nice and big for me tonight. It’s big to have nights like that heading down the stretch.”
Asmundson also totaled 42 saves, but couldn’t get enough help from his road-weary offense and suffered his 17th loss of the year.
The Bobcats and Bruins will meet for the final time Monday night at 7:15 PM at the VFW Sports Center, in a make-up game for Friday’s contest, which was postponed due to inclement weather. Tickets to Friday’s game may be redeemed by fans for tickets for Monday night.
Monday’s contest will be a special one as the Bobcats will be teaming up with the St. Baldrick’s Foundation to raise funds for the fight against childhood cancer. The Cats will be wearing special edition white and green jerseys that will be auctioned off following the game. As part of the festivities, Bobcats coaches Layne Sedevie and Adam Gill will be getting their heads shaved. Paul Teeple, radio and FastHockey voice of the Cats, has pledged to join Sedevie and Gill if the Bobcats’ twitter account, at http://twitter.com/BismarckBobcats, gets 500 followers by game time on Monday.
Friday’s special contest 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