Monday Roundup: Alumni Outburst Sets Table for Bobcats’ Thanksgiving
Last Week:
Friday, November 21: Minotauros 7, Bobcats 0
Saturday, November 22: Bobcats 5, Minotauros 4 (Shootout)
This Week:
Wednesday, November 26: Bobcats at Blizzard, Larson Ice Center, 7:15pm
Friday, November 28: Bobcats vs. Wilderness, VFW Sports Center, 7:15pm
Saturday, November 29: Bobcats vs. Wilderness, VFW Sports Center, 7:15pm
Twenty-One Alum Salute
BISMARCK, ND – A week after 25 former Bismarck Bobcats made their presence felt at the collegiate professional levels, 21 Bobcat alumni found their way onto the scoresheet at the next level over the pre-holiday weekend.
Bryce Schmitt (2009-12), the Cats’ captain three seasons ago, extended his career-high point streak to five games with a goal and two assists amid a home split for Lake Superior State against Alaska. Schmitt leads the Lakers in points with 10 (5g, 5a); LSSU is 3-1-0 when the Minot native scores a goal this season.
Huba Sekesi and Tyler Dunagan, who finished their NAHL careers with the Cats in 2013-14, each extended their personal point streaks to three games—Sekesi with two goals and an assist; Dunagan with a goal and an assist—for St. John’s, the 15th-ranked team in Division III, as the Johnnies went 1-0-1 at home in conference play against St. Mary’s.
Sekesi is currently tied for sixteenth among all skaters in D-III with five goals.
Forward Matt Pohlkamp (2012-13) continued his hot start in WCHA play for Bowling Green, notching a short-handed goal Saturday in to help the Falcons wrap up a sweep of the visiting Bemidji State Beavers. Pohlkamp is tied for the team lead with four goals in conference games.
A number of alums notched career firsts over the weekend: Stanislav Dzakhov (2012-14) tallied his first career collegiate points, getting an assist in both games of Niagara’s home sweep of Army; Nate Flynn (2013-14) scored his first goal for Augsburg in Friday’s 3-1 win over Concordia (WI); Tommy Malkmus (2013-14) also notched his first college tally Saturday in Finlandia’s 4-1 home loss to Wisconsin-Superior.
In net, Tommy Burke (Bowling Green), Ryan Massa (Nebraska-Omaha) and Jake Williams (Salve Regina) all picked up wins over the weekend.
Other players to previously don the black and gold to pick up collegiate points in the run-up to Thanksgiving included: Don Olivieri (2a, Nazareth); Kevin Becker (2a, St. John’s); Mike Fazio (1g, UW-River Falls); Joe Giordano (1g, Connecticut College); Blake Schammel (1g, Gustavus Adolphus); Alex Barron (1a, Quinnipiac); Danny Ray (1a, UW-Stout); Kevin Becker (1a, St. John’s); Adam Knochenmus (1a, UW-Eau Claire); Tyler Richter (1a, St. Thomas); Charlie Aus (1a, Concordia MN).
In the ECHL, goalie Ryan Faragher (2009-11) went 1-1-0 with 50 saves on 53 shots for the Utah Grizzlies in a home split with the Colorado Eagles.
Cloudy Night
The Bobcats had their three-week run of placing either a First or Second Star of the Week for the Central Division halted on Monday, though J.M. Piotrowski and Joe Tyran picked up honorable mentions for the divisional honors.
Piotrowski snapped a six-game scoreless streak with a three-point game Saturday that included a power play goal and a pair of assists.
Tyran set a new career high for points in a game with three assists on Saturday. Following 11 games to start the season with no goals or assists, the Air Force commit now has nine points—all assists—and a plus-2 rating in his last eight appearances.
Holiday Feast
A three-game Thanksgiving week lies ahead for the Bobcats, starting Wednesday with a 7:15pm divisional tilt at the Larson Ice Center against the Brookings Blizzard and continuing with Friday and Saturday home dates against the Midwest Division’s Minnesota Wilderness.
Through five meetings, the Bobcats hold a 3-2-0 record against the Blizzard; the Cats have not yet faced the Wilderness in 2014-15 but went just 1-3-0 against Minnesota in the Wilderness’ expansion season a year ago.
Live coverage of Wednesday’s Thanksgiving prelude will begin at 6:45pm locally on SuperTalk 1270, KLXX-AM, the radio home of Bobcat Hockey, and worldwide online at NAHL.FASTHockey.com, the official web television partner of the North American Hockey League.
Though the 2014-15 season is now under way, there is still time to order season tickets for the year; fans who want to lock in their seats for the entire campaign should call the Bobcat office at 222-3300 today!