Bobcats Earn Split, Seize Second Place
December 1, 2012 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Bismarck Bobcats News Release
ABERDEEN, SD -- The Bismarck Bobcats persevered through some nervous moments in a tight third period but got a lift from team captain Adam Knochenmus to squeeze out a 5-4 road win over the Aberdeen Wings Saturday at Odde Ice Center, earning a road split with the pesky Wings.
With the win the Bobcats (13-11-2, 28 pts) pulled into sole possession of second place in the Central Division, ahead of idle Brookings (13-10-0, 26 pts) and grabbed a 6-3 lead over the Wings in the Titan Machinery Dakota Cup standings.
It was Aberdeen, though, who drew first blood as the Wings were awarded an early power play that Justin Parizek cashed in on a rising shot through traffic to boost the Wings to a 1-0 lead just 1:54 into the game.
Patrick Moore dialed up a response for the Bobcats 2:58 later, stealing an Aberdeen face-off win in the offensive zone and sliding a backhander through the five-hole of Wings netminder Marcus Zelzer to even the game at one.
Mike Dockry pushed the Cats in front at 2-1 with 11:37 to go in the opening frame when a centering pass intended for Knochenmus deflected off the skate of an Aberdeen defender and in.
"Our line was moving the puck well and we let the game come to us all night," noted Dockry, whose newly constructed line with Moore and Knochenmus totaled four goals and three assists Saturday. "We were working hard and got some bounces but we were also creating our own bounces."
In the second, the Bobcats turned up the heat on the forecheck and pushed the lead to 3-1 when blueliner Chris Diver intercepted an outlet pass in the middle of the Aberdeen zone and zipped a low liner through Zelzer's legs with 12:23 to go in the middle frame for his first career goal.
Knochenmus made it a 4-1 game a hair under five minutes later, booming a centering feed from Dockry over Zelzer's glove to put a cap on the visitors' four-goal outburst.
Aberdeen, however, battled back in the third period, pulling to within 4-3 on back-to-back goals from Jake Horton and Zach Kraft in the first six and a half minutes of the final frame.
"Our guys didn't do a good job of clearing traffic in front of [goalie Bryan] Nies all night and it let Aberdeen back in it in the third," assessed Bobcats head coach and general manager Layne Sedevie.
Knochenmus silenced the raucous Wings partisans with 8:57 left with his second off the night, created when the captain stripped Aberdeen defender Dylan Dailey at the Wings' blue line and rushed in on a short breakaway, stuffing a backhander through Zelzer's legs and reinstating a two-goal lead at 5-3.
"I was bound and determined to get that goal," admitted Knochenmus, who tallied his ninth and tenth goals of the season Saturday. "Patty set me up for an easy one the shift before and I couldn't put it in; I didn't want to let another one slip away."
The Wings put the heat right back on the Bobcats with 2:15 to go in regulation as Peter Krieger, who scored Aberdeen's game-winner on Friday, tapped in a centering feed from Parizek to pull back within one at 5-4.
From there, the Bobcat defense stiffened, not allowing the Wings a single shot on Nies while holding their Dakota Cup rivals at bay in the neutral zone to drain the final two-plus minutes off the clock and hang on for a one-goal win.
Nies made 32 saves to secure his first win since a 6-1 victory on October 12 at Coulee Region and fifth win overall.
Zelzer suffered his ninth loss of the year despite 28 saves--two more than he needed in a 3-1 win over the Cats Friday.
The Bobcats return home for a one-off meeting with the red-hot Minot Minotauros Friday at 7:15 PM at the VFW Sports Center. Minot comes flying into the meeting on a franchise-high six-game win streak after a home sweep of the division-leading Austin Bruins.
Friday's intrastate showdown 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 ab4fc0f&id451935b1c8&e43c657e6ea. Pregame coverage gets under way at 6:45 PM.
Pro-rated season tickets for the 2012-13 season are now on sale- and going fast! Call the Bobcat Hockey office today at (701) 222-3300 to reserve your seats for another great season of Championship Entertainment.
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North American Hockey League Stories from December 1, 2012
- Bulls Stop Rays 4-2 for Seventh Straight Victory - Amarillo Bulls
- Bobcats Earn Split, Seize Second Place - Bismarck Bobcats
- Odessa Grinds, Comes Up Short In 6-3 Defeat - Odessa Jackalopes
- Soo rides Nagelvoort to victory over Springfield, 2-1 - Soo Eagles
- Amarillo Squeaks by Corpus Christi 4-2 - Corpus Christi IceRays
- Kalamazoo Surrenders Three Power Play Goals and One Shorthanded Goal in Loss - Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings
- Blizzard Chilled - Brookings Blizzard
- Soo Downs Springfield, 5-2 - Soo Eagles
- Aberdeen Rally Topples Bobcats - Bismarck Bobcats
- Barber Records Natural Hat Trick - Wenatchee Wild
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