BISMARCK, ND. – In a crucial early season matchup between two of the best teams in the Central Division from a season ago, the Bismarck Bobcats put on a defensive clinic in a weekend sweep over the Austin Bruins.
Friday: Bismarck 4 Austin 0
Friday’s matchup saw two teams that were virtually dead even and it showed throughout the first half of the game.
Neither team found the back of the net in the first period, only mustering nine total shots between the two of them, and both teams struggled on the man-advantage.
The two netminders, Linus Vieillard for Bismarck and Hayden Demaso for Austin, were stellar on the chances they faced early on.
The second period turned into a chaotic frame for both teams, with 44 combined penalty minutes and a hectic final 77 seconds.
The Bobcats finally broke through on the power-play with just under seven minutes to go in the period thanks to Brenden Espenell, who’s continued production on the backend has been a major factor in the hot start to the season for the Bobcats.
The former Halifax Moosehead has only been held off the scoresheet twice this season, and after a five-point weekend, he sits atop the Central DIvision Defensemen in points with 17.
As time dwindled down in the period it looked like the score would stay at 1-0, that was until Max Gustaffson found Elia Baumann in front to make it 2-0, as both players recorded their first career NAHL points.
It was another first career goal just 44 seconds later that sent the VFW Center into a frenzy, and Will Leonard sniped one glove side after delivering a huge check at the red-line.
The Bobcats would continue to roll and blank the Bruins, marking the first time in over 70 games that Austin was shutout in a game.
Saturday: Bismarck 2 Austin 1 (OT)
Saturday felt like deja vu of Friday’s bout, with a scoreless first period yet again, and again it took around the halfway mark for either team to find the back of the net.
Leonard continued to tear it up, scoring on a one-timer at the 10:10 mark of the second, marking the ninth time in 11 games Bismarck scored first.
Austin wouldn’t go away without a fight however, as Kyle Sorensen tipped home a shot off the rush for his fifth of the year to tie things up, and that’s how the score stayed through regulation.
As overtime kicked off, Maddox Malmquist forced a turnover in the offensive zone, leading to a 2-on-1 with Espenell, where Malmquist potted home a backdoor tap-in to secure the first overtime win of the year and keep the Bobcats perfect at home this season.
Bismarck moved to 9-2-0-0 on the season, staying tied in first place in the Central with Minot, and the penalty kill climbed to the best mark in the league thanks to a perfect 13-for-13 showing across the weekend.
The Bobcats will look to take that momentum into St. Cloud this weekend, where they face a Norsemen team who they outscored 13-4 to start the season.