BLAINE, MINN.–Both Layne Sedevie and Garrett Roth knew this day was coming.
After Roth took the head coaching job with the Oklahoma Warriors in 2020, a meeting with the Bobcats and his former boss was inevitable. Roth’s group came to play in a 7-2 victory at the Blaine Super Rink on Thursday.
Roth, whose number 27 is posted on the wall at the VFW Sports Center, left the Bobcats after eight years as an assistant coach and perhaps the best playing career of anyone in franchise history. Sedevie first met Roth when the two were teammates at Bemidji State University.
For the second straight game, the Bobcats scored first. Vertti Jantunen put home his first career North American Hockey League goal at 7:04 in the first period. That awakened the Warriors, who responded with four goals before the buzzer.
Oklahoma ultimately scored seven of the game’s final eight goals. Jantunen had both Bismarck goals.
In his first career start, C.J. Kier did not make it all the way through, being pulled after six goals against. Linards Lipskis finished the game with one goal allowed.
The Bobcats go for their first victory of the season tomorrow against the Fairbanks Ice Dogs at 5:00 p.m.