ALBERT LEA, MN – The Bismarck Bobcats dropped their first regulation contest since January 15th as the Albert Lea Thunder used a two-goal third-period rally to a 3-2 win Friday at Albert Lea Arena.
With the Bobcats leading 2-1 after two periods, the Thunder tied the game 4:41 into the third period when Brian Nehring slammed home a Zach May rebound past Bobcat goalie Jake Williams for a 2-2 score.
Less than two minutes later, May added a goal of his own, stuffing a wrap-around chance in past Williams to give the Thunder the lead for good with 13:26 left in the game.
The Bobcats outshot the Thunder 8-2 over the final 13 minutes but couldn’t break through the goaltending of Albert Lea netminder Nikofor Szczerba, who made numerous saves on Bobcat point-blank chances to hand the visitors only their 10th regulation loss of 2009-10.
Szczerba made 32 saves to pick up his second win of the season.
Anthony Iaquinto got the Thunder started in the first period, powering behind the Bobcat defense for a breakaway, converting the chance with a short forehand past Williams with 2:36 left in the opening frame.
Ryan Jacobson tied the game just 3:18 into the second, redirecting a Jason Fabian centering feed through Szczerba’s legs, making it 1-1.
Fabian followed up 2:02 later, slamming home a transition pass from Gavin Hartzog to boost the visitors to a 2-1 lead.
Williams made 23 saves but suffered his first loss in a Bobcat uniform, falling to 8-5-0 overall in 2009-10.
The Bobcats and Thunder will wrap up their two-game series on Saturday at Albert Lea Arena with a 7:00 PM contest.
Saturday’s game will be broadcast locally on the radio home of Bobcat Hockey, Super Talk 1270, KLXX-AM, and worldwide at BismarckBobcats.com via B2 Networks. The pre-game show starts at 7:00 PM.
You won\’t want to miss any of the games this season, so order your Season Tickets, Family Packs and Group Nights today by calling the Bobcat Hockey Office at 701-222-3300 or by e-mailing the office for more information at gobobcathockey@aol.com.
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