Monday Roundup: Bobcats to Meet Fans Tuesday at Buffalo Wild Wings
Last Week:
Thursday, October 30: Minot 6, Bobcats 4
Friday, October 31: Brookings 2, Bobcats 1
Saturday, November 1: Bobcats 7, Brookings 3
This Week:
Friday, November 7: Bobcats vs. Blizzard, VFW Sports Center, 7:15pm
Saturday, November 8: Bobcats at Blizzard, Larson Ice Center, 7:15pm
Bobcats and B-Dubs
The Bismarck Bobcats will have their first official meet-and-greet event Tuesday at Buffalo Wild Wings on 3rd Street in Bismarck.
Bobcat players and staff will be on hand to visit with fans of all ages throughout the event.
Running from 5:00 until 8:00pm, fans are invited to stop by and have some wings with the 2014-15 installment of North Dakota’s oldest and most successful junior franchise.
Also joining the fun will be Larry “LarDawg” LeBlanc and US Country 103.3 FM, who will be broadcasting live throughout the event.
It will be Wing Tuesday at Buffalo Wild Wings, meaning traditional (non-boneless) wings will be just 60 cents each all day long!
Points-a-Plenty
Forwards Jared Spooner earned Second Star of the Week for the Central Division while Cullen Willox was an honorable mention after the two combined for nine points on the weekend.
Spooner, a 2014 graduate of Bismarck High, scored his first goal of the year in the first period Thursday then went on to add two more—plus an assist—on the weekend to climb to fourth on the Bobcats in scoring with nine points (3g, 6a).
Second-year winger Willox ascended to a team-best 17 points (7g, 10a) on the season thanks to five assists on the week, including four helpers in Saturday’s 7-3 win over Brookings. Saturday’s four-assist performance clocked in at the best single-game total for any Bobcat this season in both assists and points; the Eagan, Minn., native already shared the top mark for goals in a game in 2014-15 at two.
Alumni Outburst
Bobcat alums had a huge weekend at the NCAA Division I level, starting with 2009-10 goalie Ryan Massa, who made 61 saves on 63 shots for the University of Nebraska-Omaha as the Mavericks went 1-0-1 against 18th-ranked Cornell on the weekend.
For his stinginess, Massa nabbed his second NCHC Goaltender of the Week award of the young college hockey season.
Points abounded for former Bobcats on the weekend, as well: 2009-10 blueliner Sam Rendle picked up two assists Friday as Bemidji State routed Alaska-Fairbanks 6-1; 2007-08 forward Blake Hietala notched a pair of assists Saturday in Michigan Tech’s 6-2 blowout of Michigan; 2012-13 winger Matt Pohlkamp picked up an assist Saturday in Bowling Green’s 3-1 victory over WCHA heavyweaight MSU-Mankato.
Pohlkamp is currently tied for 11th in the nation in assists with six.
Of all the Division I skaters who formerly donned the black and gold, 2009-12 forward Bryce Schmitt probably had the biggest impact, as the former Bobcat captain scored in the first minute and assisted in overtime to help Lake Superior State University earn their first win of the season Saturday over Alaska-Anchorage.
Schmitt currently leads the Lakers in goals (3) and points (5).
At the professional level, 2009-11 goalie Ryan Faragher made one appearance but did not register a decision in the Utah Grizzlies’ 6-2 loss to the Colorado Eagles.
Another former Bobcat, 2008-09 defenseman Myles Harvey, joined Faragher on the Grizzlies’ ECHL roster over the weekend, registering his first point of the year Saturday on a first-period assist to Alex Krushelnyski.
Here and There
The Bobcats will have their second-straight home-and-home weekend with the Blizzard, albeit in reverse: Friday the Cats will host the Blizzard at the VFW Sports Center before trekking to South Dakota for a Saturday rematch. Both games will begin at 7:15pm CDT.
Tickets are now on sale for Friday’s home contest: fans can buy and print their tickets 24 hours a day at BismarckBobcats.com or charge by phone at 222-3300.
Live coverage of the weekend opener will begin Friday at 6:45pm locally on SuperTalk 1270, KLXX-AM, the radio home of Bobcat Hockey, and worldwide online at NAHL.FASTHockey.com, the official web television partner of the North American Hockey League.
Though the 2014-15 season is now under way, there is still time to order season tickets for the year; fans who want to lock in their seats for the entire campaign should call the Bobcat office at 222-3300 today!
