ALEXANDRIA, MN – The Bismarck Bobcats weathered a late rally from the Alexandria Blizzard to collect a 2-1 road victory and their first road sweep of an opponent this season Saturday at the Runestone Center.
The win gives the ‘Cats a season-high four-game winning streak and keeps them alone in first place ahead of the Owatonna Express.
Leading 1-0 after two periods, the Bobcats saw the Blizzard pull even when forward Steve Zierke lined home a Tommy Westmark rebound on the power play just 3:06 into the third.
Undeterred, the Bobcat power play responded five minutes later when Jason Fabian deflected a Sean McKenzie shot off Blizzard netminder Chris Kamal’s glove and in for a 2-1 Bismarck lead with 11:52 left in regulation.
The game took a physical tone for the rest of the way, and the Bobcat forecheck held the Blizzard at bay in the neutral and offensive zones to preserve the Bobcats’ fourth straight victory.
Despite the low score, the Bobcats offense got started early when Sam Rendle sent a low liner through Kamal’s legs on the power play for a quick 1-0 lead just 1:11 into the game.
In a highly defensive struggle, the goalies were the stars as Kamal stopped 18 Bobcat shots but suffered his third straight loss to the Bismarck side and slipped to 4-4-2 on the season.
For the Bobcats, Ryan Faragher turned aside 20 Blizzard attempts to improve to 6-3-4 in 2009-10.
The Bobcats wrap up their three-games-in-three-nights road trip Sunday in Owatonna when they take on the Express for a 7:00 PM contest with first place up for grabs at the Four Seasons Centre.
The game will be broadcast locally on the radio home of Bobcat Hockey, Super Talk 1270, KLXX-AM, and worldwide at BismarckBobcats.com via B2 Networks. The pre-game show starts at 6:30 PM.
You won\’t want to miss any of the games this season, so order your Season Tickets, Family Packs and Group Nights today by calling the Bobcat Hockey Office at 701-222-3300 or by e-mailing the office for more information at gobobcathockey@aol.com.
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