The Bismarck Bobcats were back on home ice to begin the Central Division Finals against the Austin Bruins.
Friday night was game 1, and Austin came out with exactly the energy they needed in order to begin the series on the road. Just 29 seconds into the game, the Bruins found a stick out in front and deflected the puck into the back of the net, making it 1-0 Bruins. Just 4 minutes later, a breakdown in coverage would result in another goal for Austin as they extended their lead to 2-0 just 5 minutes into the game. After that, the Bobcats would settle in, but have no response for Austin. The period would end 2-0 in favor of Austin, with shots reading 7-6 in favor of the Bruins.
The 2nd period, Bismarck just couldn’t string together O-zone pressure, despite outshooting the Bruins 10-8 in the middle period, they were still unable to find the back of the net. Austin would take a 2-0 lead heading into the 3rd period of play.
The Bobcats were aggressive in pulling the goaltender and with just over 2 minutes remaining in the game, the Bruins turned over the puck in the D-zone and Tommy Cronin found Julian Beaumont who pounded it home to bring the Cats to within one. Unfortunately, the Bruins would fire one down 200 feet just 40 seconds later to seal the deal for the Bruins as they took game 1.
Moving ahead to Saturday’s game, the Bobcats came out firing on all cylinders, outshooting Austin 8-3 at the media timeout, and 12-6 in the first period. Both goalies were tested, but stood tall as we entered the 2nd period scoreless.
The offense slowed down in the 2nd as Austin had a bit of a push-back in the middle stages of the 2nd period. Once again, both goaltenders stood on their heads and kept the door shut. The game would enter the 3rd period tied at 0.
In the 3rd period, it didn’t take the Cats long. Just over a minute into the period, it would be Kyle Doll sniping one far-side, to the near post, to break the deadlock and give the Bobcats the 1-0 lead. From that point on, the Bobcats did a really nice job of managing the game and controlling the pushes that Austin came at the Bobcats with. With about a minute and a half left, Sasha Kim struck with the empty net to put the dagger to Austin. The Bobcats skated away with the 2-0 victory and tied the series up at 1 a piece.
The Bobcats will be on the road this weekend for games 3 & 4 in Austin. We will be having official away road watch parties, Friday at the Tap-In Tavern and Saturday at the Arctic Room next to Lucky’s Bar! Be sure to come out, have some fun, and cheer on your Bobcats!