Bobcats in Driver's Seat After First Half
December 27, 2010 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Bismarck Bobcats News Release
BISMARCK, ND -- With a record of 19-8-1, the Bismarck Bobcats will come off the holiday break rested, refreshed and--most importantly--sitting in first place in the NAHL's Central Division.
The Central Division is presently one of the tightest races in the league withthe Cats (39 pts) just three points ahead of the second place Owatonna Express(16-12-4, 36 pts) and five points up on the Coulee Region Chill (16-9-2, 34pts).
One big factor in the jam-packed Central will be the concept of "games inhand," or the number of games teams have played relative to others in thestandings. As the NAHL's standings are based on a standard hockey pointssystem, having fewer games played is considered beneficial as a team with moregames remaining has a higher potential for points in the standings.
Right now, the Chill have played the fewest games of any NAHL team with 27;conversely, Owatonna has played more games than any other team in the Centralwith 32 GP. The Bobcats have played 28 games so far, which- combined with theirstandings lead over both the Chill and the Express- puts them in control oftheir own destiny for their third straight regular season divisional title.
First place at the holiday break not only puts the Cats in charge of thedivision, but also guarantees the defending champs will be well-represented atJanuary's 2011 Top Prospects Tournament in Ann Arbor, Mich.
As with seasons past, the league standings were frozen after the final gamesbefore Christmas and, by virtue of the top spot in the division, the Bobcatswill place the most players on Team Central at the highly scouted three-dayevent.
Additionally, the Cats' division-best .696 winningpercentage means that Bismarck head coach Layne Sedevie will also be the headcoach for Team Central in Ann Arbor.
Thanks to a new wrinkle in the NAHL's playoff rules, though, the CentralDivision is no longer the Bobcats' only concern, standings-wise, heading intothe second half of the 2010-11 campaign.
During the 2010 offseason, the league trimmed the number of teams in theRobertson Cup Tournament from five- as it had been during the past two seasons- downto four. The host Topeka Roadrunners will still be granted an automatic bid tothe national tournament, but should they fail to win the South Division in2011, the two divisional winners with the lowest points totals in the regularseason standings will play a three-game series to decide the fourth team atnationals.
Right now the Bobcats have the lowest point total of anydivision leader at 39, but- to their benefit- also have the fewest games played,putting them in striking distance of the South-leading Texas Tornado (19-7-5, 43pts), the North-leading St. Louis Bandits (23-8-4, 50 pts) and the West-leadingFairbanks Ice Dogs (22-9-2, 46 pts). If the Cats win out their games in handover the Tornado, Bandits and Ice Dogs, they would have the most points of anycurrent division leader.
The Bobcats will simultaneously close out 2010 and open thefirst half of the 2010-11 season when the arch-rival Aberdeen Wings come to theVFW Sports Center on Thursday night for a 7:15 PM showdown.
Thursday's 2010 finale will be broadcast locally on the radio home ofBobcat Hockey, Super Talk 1270, KLXX-AM, and worldwide at http://nahl.fasthockey.com/.Pre-game coverage will begin at 6:45 PM CT.
Season tickets are now on sale for the 2010-11 season! Call the Bobcat Hockeyoffice at (701) 222-3300 or email gobobcathockey@aol.comfor more information on reserving your seats for the entire season as theBobcats look to defend the Robertson Cup!
2010 ROBERTSON CUP CHAMPIONS
North American Hockey League Stories from December 27, 2010
- Bobcats in Driver's Seat After First Half - Bismarck Bobcats
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- Texas Tornado Host New Year's Eve Game and Celebration - Texas Tornado
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