Bobcats Launch 2013 Preseason with Minot Home-and-Home
MINOT, ND – The Bismarck Bobcats are set to dash through their brief preseason slate with a home-and-home series against the Minot Minotauros, starting Friday at Maysa Arena before moving south to the VFW Sports Center on Saturday.
“We’ve been in training camp for a week and a half now and the first week was all dryland stuff with Hell Week, so you know these guys are chomping at the bit to get out there into a game situation,” noted Bobcats goaltender Aaron Nelson.
The 2013 preseason lays out a bit differently from previous schedules for the Cats, as they will play two preseason games this weekend and then have next weekend off before the season begins September 18 against the Soo Eagles at the Easton NAHL Showcase in Blaine, Minn. In years past, the Bobcats have played their exhibition slate the weekend immediately preceding the Showcase.
Plenty of difficult decisions lie ahead for the Bobcat coaching staff, as the roster must be trimmed to 25 players between now and the start of the regular season.
“There are some really talented and, more importantly, hard-working guys in camp that might not make the final cut,” assessed Bobcats head coach and general manager Layne Sedevie, “which is by far the hardest part of the job for any coach.
“What I’ve been telling the guys that at this time of the year, they should not be trying to fit in. They should be doing their best to stand out and catch the coaches’ attention and show us exactly why they should be a Bobcat.”
After the Cats dominated their intrastate series in the Tauros’ inaugural season to the tune of 11-1-0, the Bobcats needed at least one win in their season-ending home-and-home with Minot in 2012-13 to clinch the season series, which they did by a final mark of 8-3-1.
With the Minotauros fresh off their first playoff appearance in franchise history, the rivalry promises to jump up another notch in 2013-14.
“Every time we play Minot, things get pretty intense,” submitted Bobcats third-year forward Filip Starzynski, who tallied his first career goal at the Maysa in 2011. “Even last year during the preseason it was pretty nasty between the two teams and it only went up from there as we got into the regular season.”
Friday’s road tilt is scheduled for a 7:35 PM puck drop while Saturday’s home contest will begin at 7:15 PM. Fans who order their tickets for Saturday online at BismarckBobcats.com and choose “Will Call” before Friday at 2:00 PM will receive a voucher that can be redeemed for a free beer (age 21 and over only for the free beer).
Friday’s preseason opener will be broadcast locally on the radio home of Bobcat Hockey, Super Talk 1270, KLXX-AM. Pregame coverage gets under way at 7:05 PM CST.
Season tickets for 2013-14 are now on sale—and going fast! Call the Bobcat Office at 222-3300 to reserve your seats now, including for our brand new Dasher Bar, or email gobobcathockey@aol.com for more information.