Bobcats Return Home for Division Final Rematch
September 29, 2016 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Bismarck Bobcats News Release
BISMARCK, ND - The Bismarck Bobcats will look to bounce back from a 1-3-0 performance at the 2016 NAHL Showcase when they get back home to the VFW Sports Center to host a two-game series, starting Friday, against the Austin Bruins.
It will be the first time the Bobcats and Bruins will square off since the Cats eliminated Austin from the Central Division Finals in the same building nearly five months prior.
"We know that Austin is a veteran team, and they have a number of guys back who may still be ticked about how their season ended," explained Bobcat winger Parker Mismash, "and we hope they bring some of that edge to our barn this weekend because we want their best game to see where we're at against a divisional contender."
Mismash currently leads the Bobcats in scoring with four goals- twice as many as he had in 40 appearances in 2015-16- and two assists through five games.
An offseason trade that brought third-year league veteran Zach Kennedy from Austin to the Bobcats also promises to add flavor to an already intense matchup.
"Yeah, I've had this weekend['s series] circled on my calendar since the day the schedule was released," admitted Kennedy, who won the Central Cup with the Bruins in 2015. "Not because of hard feelings, or anything; more because I still have a lot of friends on that team and I'm looking forward to playing against them now and experiencing things from the other side of the rivalry."
Austin turned heads at the Showcase, knocking off the defending national champion Fairbanks Ice Dogs 3-2 in overtime en route to a 2-1-1 finish.
Second-year center Jan Stefka is tops among Austin scorers, submitting five points (2g, 3a) in the Bruins' first four contests.
Tickets for both games of the rivalry weekend are now on sale: fans can buy and print tickets 24 hours a day at BismarckBobcats.com or charge-by-phone at 222-3300.
Friday's weekend opener will be broadcast locally on the radio home of Bobcat Hockey, Super Talk 1270 AM, and worldwide on FASTHockey.com-the web television partner of the North American Hockey League-with pregame coverage starting at 6:45pm.
Season tickets are now on sale for the Bobcats' landmark platinum anniversary campaign Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/bobcathockey) Twitter (http://twitter.com/BismarckBobcats) Email (mailto:news@bismarckbobcats.com)
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