MINOT, N.D.–The Bismarck Bobcats lost identical 4-3 games against the Minot Minotauros on Thursday and Friday at the Maysa Arena in Minot.
While the scores may have ended up the same, the way games one and two played out were complete flips of the script. Thursday’s game saw the Bobcats fall behind 3-0 with only eight minutes off the clock.
The visitors battled back hard, though. Kyle Doll scored a sharp-angle shot early in the second period. Patrick Johnson netted a 5-on-3 goal in the third, then Calvin Hanson scored on a net-front scramble with nine minutes remaining. Despite the strong effort down the stretch, Minot killed enough time off the clock to skate away with two points.
“I do not even know where we were in the first 30 minutes of the game,” head coach Layne Sedevie said. “We had a good push at the end, but at that point, you are kind of looking for miracles.”
Despite the loss, the Bobcats outshot Minot 31-29, including a 24-14 margin over the second and third periods.
Friday’s contest featured two good periods and one poor period, just in different spots. The Bobcats came out strong, scoring in the first four minutes, and outplayed the Minotauros through two periods.
The Bobcats’ downfall came in the third period. Minot scored three goals overall, including two strikes 43 seconds apart to turn a one-goal deficit into a one-goal lead.
“We were good for two periods,” Sedevie said. “Then in the third period, we just decided to give the game away. You could feel it.”
Calvin Hanson scored twice in the game, his second multi-goal outing of the season. Patrick Johnson scored the Bobcats’ first goal of the game.
The Bobcats will attempt to earn two points out of this three-game series at home Saturday night. Limited standing room only seats are available on www.bismarckbobcats.com or by calling the office at 222-3300. Puck drop is 7:15 p.m. at the VFW Sports Center.