BISMARCK, ND – For the second straight series in the 2011 Robertson Cup Playoffs, the Bismarck Bobcats will hit the road for Game Five–this time in the Central Division Finals–after the Coulee Region Chill tipped the Cats 4-3 in overtime Saturday at the VFW Sports Center in Game Four of the best-of-five series.
Scoreless after the first period, it was the second-seeded Chill who opened the scoring as Zac Frischmon slipped behind the Bobcat defense for a breakaway on a stretch pass from Scott Bell to put the visitors out to a 1-0 lead just 1:18 into the second.
Connor Gaarder doubled the Chill edge to 2-0 1:32 later on the power play, popping a Frischmon rebound past goalie Ryan Faragher on a broken play.
The Bobcats responded half-way through the second as Matt Gates powered home a Nikolaj Rosenthal rebound—cutting the Coulee Region lead to 2-1 with 9:59 left in the middle frame.
Charlie Mosey followed up with 3:30 to go in the second, deflecting a point shot from Charlie Aus over the glove of netminder Paul Moberg to force a 2-2 tie.
Castan Sommer chased Mosey’s goal with one of his own just 59 seconds later, glancing a rising shot in transition off a Coulee Region defender and in for a 3-2 Bobcat advantage.
Frischmon responded early in the third for the Chill, dangling past a pair of Bobcat defenders and beating Faragher five-hole to even the score at 3-3 with 15:46 left in regulation.
The Cats’ forecheck dominated most of the final frame as the home side held a 14-8 third period edge in shots, but Moberg held firm to force overtime.
In the extra frame, Eric Drapluk netted his second goal of the series with a low liner through traffic that extended the Central Finals to a fifth and final contest.
Faragher made 27 saves but fell to 3-2 in the playoffs while Moberg evened his record at 2-2 behind 44 stops.
Game Five will be Monday at the Omni Center in Onalaska, Wis., scheduled for a 7:00 PM start.
The Central Cup-deciding battle will be broadcast locally on the radio home of Bobcat Hockey, Super Talk 1270, KLXX-AM, and worldwide at http://nahl.fasthockey.com/. Pre-game coverage will begin at 6:45 PM CT.
Season tickets are now on sale for the 2011-12 season! Call the Bobcat Hockey office at (701) 222-3300 or email gobobcathockey@aol.com for more information on reserving your seats for next season!
BOBCAT HOCKEY
2010 ROBERTSON CUP CHAMPIONS