Lay It on the Line

Feb 23, 2017

Bobcats to Wrap Aberdeen Season Series at Home

Matchups: Bismarck Bobcats (20-24-2) vs Aberdeen Wings (23-20-3)
Games: Friday, February 24, 7:15pm; Saturday, February 25, 7:15pm
Venue: VFW Sports Center, Bismarck, N.D.
Season Series: Wings lead Bobcats 7-2-1
All-Time: Bobcats lead Wings 49-20-11
Radio: SuperTalk 1270 AM, SuperTalk1270.com and the radioPup smartphone app (Bismarck market), 6:50pm both nights
Internet TV: HockeyTV.com, 6:50pm both nights

BISMARCK, ND – On the heels of a two-game split in Aberdeen, the Bismarck Bobcats return home Friday to open a weekend set against the Aberdeen Wings at the VFW Sports Center to close out their 12-game season series.

Entering the weekend, the Bobcats (20-24-2, 42 pts) sit seven points behind the Wings (23-20-3, 49 pts) for the Central Division’s fourth and final playoff spot with 14 games left to play for each side.

“We’ve been saying it for a couple of weeks now but—with [Friday and Saturday] being the last time we’ll see Aberdeen this year—we’re looking at a pair of must-win games,” assessed Bobcats head coach and general manager Layne Sedevie. “14 games is a lot of time to make up seven points, but we absolutely have to handle our business head-to-head.”

The Bobcats’ 2-0 win at Odde Ice Center on Saturday not only provided the Cats with their first shutout of 2016-17, it also halted the Wings’ league-high eight-game win streak and the Wings’ intraseries string of seven straight victories over the black and gold.

For their part, the Bobcats aren’t too concerned with any streaks or their significance.

“We didn’t really think about [Aberdeen’s] streak either night, to be honest,” noted Bobcats co-captain Zach Kennedy, who registered a power play goal in Friday’s 4-1 defeat. “The only thing we cared about was getting a win—who it was against, where it was, how many they’d won in a row weren’t as important as our team getting two points we had to have.”

Norwegian winger Tobias Fladeby tops the Bobcats’ scoring list with 45 points; his 22 goals are the most in the Central Division and seventh league-wide. Center Matt Barry joined the 40-point club with his shorthanded goal Saturday for the Cats.

Second-year center Kevin Fitzgerald is averaging a point per game for the Wings with 20 goals and 26 assists in 46 appearances; rookie Carson Dimoff is Aberdeen’s other 40-plus point producer with 13 goals and 28 assists.

Tickets are now on sale for the final regular season meetings between the two long-time rivals: fans can buy and print tickets online 24 hours a day at BismarckBobcats.com or charge by phone at 222-3300.

Friday’s home throwdown will be broadcast locally on the radio home of Bobcat Hockey, Super Talk 1270 AM, and worldwide on HockeyTV.com–the web television partner of the North American Hockey League–with pregame coverage starting at 6:50pm.

Pro-rated season tickets are now on sale for the Bobcats’ landmark platinum anniversary campaign fans can get more information or reserve their seats for all of Season Twenty now by calling 222-3300.

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