Bobcats, Magicians Vie for Playoff Positioning in Weekend Clash
February 18, 2016 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Bismarck Bobcats News Release
RICHFIELD, MN - With one side deadlocked in a first-place tie and the other just three points out of the Central Division's final playoff spot, points will be at a premium when the Bismarck Bobcats make their first-ever trip to Richfield Ice Arena, to face the Minnesota Magicians for a two-game series, starting Friday.
It is the first time the two teams will have seen each other since a weekend set in late October at the VFW Sports Center, in which each side claimed a three-goal win.
"We haven't seen the Magicians since before Halloween, and their roster is very different so we're relying a lot on film scouting," admitted second-year winger Harrison Aide, who leads the Bobcats in assists at 26. "What we do know is that they have dangerous players like [Casey] Jerry and [Pierce] Crawford so defense and puck security will be important this weekend."
Jerry and Crawford-both Team Central representatives earlier this week at the NAHL's Top Prospects Tournament-currently lead Minnesota in scoring with 35 and 28 points, respectively.
Netminder Will Ulrich has been a steady presence in net for the Magicians: posting a 13-12-3 record with a 2.82 GAA and a .918 SV% over the course of his first NAHL season.
Centers Alex Strand and Aaron Herdt-also Team Central selections-have led the Bobcats' charge offensively of late, each posting three goals and four assists over the last five games to keep the Cats in a first-place tie with Minot atop the division.
Bobcat goalie Hunter Shepard bounced back from his first loss of 2016 Friday with a 27-save performance Saturday to improve to 25-9-0 in his second junior season.
The Bobcats' first-ever contest in Richfield will be broadcast live locally on SuperTalk 1270, KLXX-AM, the radio home of Bobcat Hockey, and worldwide online at NAHL.FASTHockey.com-the official web television partner of the North American Hockey League-with pregame coverage starting at 6:45pm.
Season tickets are still on sale for the 2015-16 season at a pro-rated price; if you want to beat the rush of over 40,000 fans for this year, now is the time! Call 222-3300 to reserve your seats today.
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North American Hockey League Stories from February 18, 2016
- Rebels Sign Forward Jensen Zerban to NAHL Tender Contract - Philadelphia Rebels
- Bobcats, Magicians Vie for Playoff Positioning in Weekend Clash - Bismarck Bobcats
- Amarillo Bulls Weekend Preview - vs Corpus Christi - Amarillo Bulls
- Tender Trevor St. Jean Commits to Bowling Green - Corpus Christi IceRays
- Andrei Svistunov Commits to Buffalo State - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights
- Weekend Preview - Philadelphia Rebels
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