The Bismarck Bobcats, for the first time in about a month, took the ice at home against the North Iowa Bulls for the first two meetings of the season between the two teams.
Starting with Friday’s contest, it would be a pretty back-and-forth, steady period for both teams. The Bobcats outshot the Bulls 10-8 in the opening period, but the opening goal of the contest wouldn’t be scored until the dying stages of the period and the dying stages of the Bobcat power play. George Poirier worked his way down the left wing circle and fired it home high glove on Aaron Sachs to make it a 1-0 Bobcat lead which they would take into the intermission.
Moving ahead to the 2nd period, the offense seemed to slow down for the Bulls as they only registered 5 shots in the period. However, their most important shot would come at the midway mark of the period as Michael Malatino would get inside position in front of the net and receive a pass from Vitaly Korolyuk before firing it into the back of the net to tie the game up at 1. The Bobcats would then receive a man advantage just a couple of minutes later. Denis Hodas possessed the puck in the defensive zone on the PK, attempted to clear and the puck rolled on him and found Charlie Kresl all alone in front of the net to make it a 2-1 Bobcat lead with just under 5 minutes to go in the period. The Cats would take the 2-1 lead into the 3rd period of play.
The 3rd period would prove to be ALL Bobcats. Just 38 seconds into the 3rd period, Cooper Williams would fire the puck into the back of the net giving the Bobcats their first multi-goal lead of the contest. Just 3 minutes later Trey Fredenberg carried the puck in and walked to the left-wing circle. He fired it toward the net as it took a deflection off of a Bull out in front which made it a 4-1 contest. Bismarck in the end would tack on an empty-netter from Williams, his 2nd of the game and the period, to seal the deal 5-1.
Dane Callaway was spectacular in net stopping 19/20 in the victory.
Moving ahead to Saturday’s contest, The Bulls took advantage of a hot start and fired home the first goal of the contest just 5 minutes in courtesy of Denis Kuzmenkov. The Bobcats did have a quick response, however, on the man advantage. At the tail end of the 5 on 3 power play, the Bobcats fired one toward the net, a big rebound was given by Byers and Fanda Broz fired it into the back of the net to tie the game up at 1. The teams would enter the intermission tied up in a key contest for both teams.
The Bobcats once again would get an early tally, this time in the 2nd period. Jimmy Dodig worked his way around a poke check and fired one bar-down into the back of the net just 47 seconds into the period. This would start a flurry of goals as the Bulls attempted to dump the puck in from center ice, it hit a patch of ice in front of the slot and bounced over the glove of Callaway and into the back of the net to tie the game up at 2. Staying with the theme of trading goals, the Cats responded just over a minute later as Royce Pietila took a slapper from the line, which once again hit a Bull out in front and found its way into the back of the net to make it 3-2. While on the power play, the Bobcats got caught. A 2 on 1 shorthanded rush ensued for the Bulls and the initial shot was stopped, but the rebound was pounded home by Fuji Suzuki. The offense would slow down and we would enter the 3rd period tied at 3.
Skating into the 3rd period, the Bobcats were dominating the period and got rewarded. Veszi Lippai worked his way net-front and got inside position on the defender. Ben Rakowski found him in front and Lippai found the back of the net to make it a 4-3 contest. It continued to be a Bobcat period, until the midway point as Suzuki entered the zone, cut toward the middle and fired a perfect wrist shot that found the back of the net to tie it up at 4. The Bobcats outshot North Iowa 14-2 in the period, but we would need overtime.
Both teams traded chances, the Bobcats seemingly had more high-danger chances, but it would be Korolyuk with space in the slot firing it into the back of the net to give the North Iowa Bulls their first win against the Bobcats in 29 games.
After the weekend series the Bobcats move 11-5-1 on the season.
Bismarck will hit the road once again next weekend as they visit the St. Cloud Norsemen. Tickets for future Bobcat games can be purchased at tickets.bismarckbobcats.com or by texting/calling the Bobcat Hotline at 701-390-7422.