BISMARCK, N.D.–The Bismarck Bobcats completed a weekend sweep of the North Iowa Bulls with a 4-2 win at the VFW Sports Center on Saturday.
The four-point weekend is the Bobcats’ first since January 27 and 28 in Aberdeen.
Like Friday, Bismarck opened the scoring with a first-period power play goal and opened up a 3-0 lead. Attila Lippai, Julian Beaumont, and Adam Pietila each scored.
“I thought we were OK for 40 minutes here,” head coach Layne Sedevie said. “The third period was a little suspect a times, not getting pucks out and pucks deep.”
North Iowa cut into the lead with a goal in the final minute of the second period. The Bulls then scored early in the third.
With 12 minutes remaining in a 3-2 game, Linards Lipskis denied a two-against-zero breakaway to prevent the comeback. It proved to be one of the biggest saves all season. North Iowa did not get a better chance than that, and Bismarck found a way to ice the game with a Brandon Reller goal late in the period.
“Kade makes a heck of a play on the wall,” Sedevie said. “And then (Hanson), that is a big boy play to Reller. You need those guys to step up. I thought that line was really good this weekend.”
Linards Lipskis stopped 18 out of 20 shots he faced. He finished the weekend with just three goals allowed on 47 shots. It is his first time in goal for both nights of a home sweep.
The Bobcats’ power play units turned in one of their best series of the season, too. After an 0-for-43 slump came to an end, Bismarck cashed in a goal on Friday and two goals on Saturday. The penalty kill pitched a shutout in both contests.
“We scored a lot of goals early in the year, (but) we could not defend,” Sedevie said. “Now, we can defend. Getting special teams help is the recipe that you are looking for. You get two power play goals, two five-on-five goals, and you come out with a win.”
A weekend sweep was a must-have, and the Bobcats got it. They also benefitted from Minot doing the same to Aberdeen. Now, the playoff picture shows Bismarck only two points behind those teams with four games remaining. At its simplest, all the ‘Cats have to do to make the playoffs is keep winning.
“That is what you are fighting for right?” Sedevie said. “Probably the impossible, beating a team six times in a row. Again, no one gave us a chance last year, so I am sure no one is giving us a chance this year. Maybe this group has enough in that locker room of guys that did it. To me, it is will before skill. It comes down to four games … Crazy when you think about it, but 240 minutes. We have a chance to do something special.”
Only one more guaranteed road trip is on the docket. With their season very much alive, the Bobcats will brave the impending winter weather and head to Mason City, Iowa to battle the Bulls again. Catch all the action for free on SuperTalk 1270 or with a HockeyTV paid subscription.
The Bismarck Bobcats are home on Friday, April 14 and Saturday, April 15 against the North Iowa Bulls. Puck drop is 7:15 p.m. Fans can purchase tickets at tickets.bismarckbobcats.com or by calling the office at 222-3300.