Minot Tips Bobcats 5-4 in Shootout
BISMARCK, ND – The Bismarck Bobcats rallied late but could not come all the way back, falling to the Minot Minotauros 5-4 in a shootout on Thanksgiving night at the VFW Sports Center to slip to 10-10-2 on the 2012-13 season.
For the Bobcats it is the first time all season they have lost when scoring four goals and the first time since February 12, 2011 they faltered in a shootout.
“I hope that our players are learning lessons from games like this,” asserted Bobcats head coach and general manager Layne Sedevie, whose team let a two-goal second period lead slip away on the way to the home defeat, “because we can’t keep out-playing teams like we did tonight and not come away with two points [in the standings].”
After falling behind early on a Minot transition strike from Wesley Iverson, the Bobcats quickly equalized the score at 1-1 when Tyler Klein created a turnover and served up a one-timer for Cory Chapman, who blasted a one-timer past the blocker of Tauros goalie Tyler Parks with 4:20 remaining in the first.
Matt Anders’ quickly made it a 2-1 Bobcat lead, grabbing a centering pass on the forecheck from Joe Giordano and jamming it through Parks’ pads for his second goal of the week with 1:44 to go in the opening frame.
Bobcat captain Adam Knochenmus put a cap on a three-goal surge 81 seconds into the second, batting a centering pass from Patrick Moore out of midair and in for a 3-1 Bobcat lead.
A brief special teams lapse on the part of the Bobcats, however, let Minot back into the game as Jake O’Borsky tallied a power play goal that was followed 46 seconds later by a shorthanded tally by David Dalbec to tie the game at three with 12:44 to go in the second.
“Bad decisions, bad reads,” assessed Sedevie, “and it gave Minot some momentum. These are the kind of things we need to improve on if we want to compete for a division title.”
Minot pulled in front at 4-3 with 7:27 left in regulation on the rush as Cameron Rowat scored his second goal in as many games through replacement goalie Aaron Nelson’s legs.
Giordano came up with a huge individual effort to force a late tie, forechecking the puck free to Matt Anders, who returned it to Giordano to turn a low wrister through Parks’ five-hole to make it 4-4 with 4:49 to go, sending the game to overtime
Despite dominating the pace of play in OT, the Bobcats could not find a game winner, bringing about a decisive shootout.
The Tauros picked up shootout tallies from Steve Sherman, Matt Audette and Mason Morelli while only Dan Kovar and Shane Omdahl were able to score for the Bobcats, clinching the shootout for the visitors.
With the win, Minot equals their entire win total of the 2011-12 season with seven. Parks made 30 saves to pick up his sixth victory of the season.
Nelson, who relieved Bryan Nies midway through the second, suffered his first career shootout loss while making 16 saves on 17 shots.
A busy holiday week continues Friday for the Bobcats as they hit the road for the front end of a home-and-home series with the Brookings Blizzard at Larson Ice Center with a 7:00 PM contest before returning home to face off against the Blizzard Saturday at the VFW Sports Center.
Friday’s road contest will be broadcast locally on the radio home of Bobcat Hockey, Super Talk 1270, KLXX-AM, and worldwide on the official internet television partner of the NAHL, FASTHockey, at http://nahl.fasthockey.com. Pregame coverage gets under way at 6:45 PM.
Pro-rated season tickets for the 2012-13 season are now on sale—and going fast! Call the Bobcat Hockey office today at (701) 222-3300 to reserve your seats for another great season of Championship Entertainment.