BISMARCK, ND–As the schedule has picked up in the second half of the season, the Bobcats have stressed short-term memory after tough games.
They will hope to forget the frustration of this one very quickly.
Brookings outshot the Bobcats 22-6 in the second and third periods en route to a 2-0 win Thursday night in Bismarck.
The loss was the first shutout of the Bobcats (22-11-4) at home since January 5th of last year, when, ironically, the Blizzard (11-20-7) took a 1-0 win out of Bismarck.
Fifty-five minutes of penalties hampered the Bobcat efforts, as newly-acquired Alex Toscano (Duluth, MN) received a fighting instigator call, drawing a game misconduct in the second period. Stanislav Dzakhov (Moscow, Russia) received an ejection in the third, and the Bobcats were turned away on eight power plays.
Evan Hesse scored on the power play at 5:54, and Jeff Flicker added an empty-net goal at 19:40 of the third to push Brookings to within two points of the final playoff spot in the NAHL Central Division.
The Bobcats face Brookings again Friday night, wrapping up a four-game homestand before playing nine of 10 on the road. Tickets are still available at 222-3300 or online at www.bismarckbobcats.com.