AUSTIN, MN – The Bismarck Bobcats opened the third period with a pair of goals and clamped down for a 3-1 road win over the Austin Bruins Friday at Riverside Arena.
Tied 1-1 after two periods, the Bobcats took the lead 2:05 into the third when Bryce Schmitt rocketed a Patrick Moore rebound over Bruins goalie Tyler Bruggeman, making it a 2-1 game.
A mere 2:17 later, Moore waited for Bruggeman to commit to his right and then fed the puck through the slot to Castan Sommer on an up-ice rush, giving Sommer a wide-open net to bang the puck into for a 3-1 lead that would stand up as the final.
After the two-goal burst, the Bobcat defense locked down on the second-place Bruins, allowing only five shots and helping deliver Tommy Burke his 15th win, putting him one off the league lead in that category.
“The ‘D’ did a great job of limiting the Bruins to long shots and giving me a good look at the puck,” credited Burke, who also improved his goals against average to 2.48. “They didn’t have many second chances and the guys did well clearing rebounds, too.”
Assistant captain Grant Mindt gave the visitors a 1-0 lead 9:22 into the game, taking an entry feed from Shane Omdahl to get behind the Austin defense and power a low shot through Bruggeman’s legs for the game’s first tally.
“I couldn’t ask for a better pass from Shane,” noted Mindt, who now has three goals on the season, “he gave me some room and I had just enough time to get the shot off before the defense rotated over.”
Austin tied the game with 2:08 left in the second when the Bobcats failed to get the puck cleared from their own end and John Simonson fed the puck to the mid slot for a one-time goal from Jeremy Finger.
Bruggeman made 19 saves but slipped to 12-6-2 on the season.
The Bobcats and Bruins will wrap up their two-game weekend series Saturday with a 7:05 start at Riverside.
Saturday’s series finale will be broadcast locally on the radio home of Bobcat Hockey, Super Talk 1270, KLXX-AM, and worldwide on the official internet television partner of the NAHL, FASTHockey, at http://nahl.fasthockey.com. Pregame coverage gets under way at 6:30. Fans can watch the game—and all away contests—live at Reza’s Pitch at Third and Front in Bismarck, the official away game home of Bobcat Hockey.
Season tickets are now on sale for the 2011-12 season—and going fast! Call the Bobcat Hockey office at (701) 222-3300 or email gobobcathockey@aol.com for more information on reserving a pro-rated package for this season!