Bobcats Make Ready for Coors Light Opening Night
September 20, 2012 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Bismarck Bobcats News Release
BISMARCK, ND - The Bismarck Bobcats are set to open their 2012-13 home schedule as they host the Fresno Monsters Friday for Coors Light Opening Night at the VFW Sports Center.
It will be the first visit the Monsters will pay to Bismarck/Mandan in either franchise's history.
"We're excited to have a team like Fresno come to town and to our barn for Coors Light Opening Night," said Bobcats head coach and general manager Layne Sedevie, who will be behind the bench for his third home opener on Friday. "They're a fast, skilled team and will be a contender in a really strong West Division."
The Monsters started the season with wins over Port Huron, Aberdeen and Soo to race out to a 3-1-0 record coming out of last week's Combat Hockey NAHL Showcase.
Fresno recorded 15 goals in four games at the Showcase, fourth most among all 24 NAHL teams at the four-day summit in Blaine, Minn.
"Our defense is going to have its hands full with players like Mikhail Bushinski, Sean Kalbak and Zack Holstrom," noted Sedevie, whose back line surrendered 13 goals in its last three games at the Showcase en route to a 1-3-0 finish. "But it's not just those three; Fresno has a balanced attack, so we need to have a strong, consistent effort on the blue line this weekend."
On the other side, the Bobcats are mired in a three-game losing streak early in the season, matching the longest skid the team had during the entire 2011-12 season.
Despite the struggles out of the gate, the Bobcat players are up to the challenge of bouncing back.
"Last year, we didn't really get tested mentally until much later in the season, so in a way it's good to see how we deal with struggles early on," explained Bobcats captain Adam Knochenmus, who leads the Cats-along with Patrick Moore and Joe Giordano-in scoring with three points. "We want to bounce back and figure out early on how to get through tough times."
The Bobcat front office has been proactive in dealing with the early slump, trading a draft pick to the Minot Minotauros for second-year defenseman Joe Hockert, who had seven points for the Tauros in 2011-12.
Coors Light Opening Night will also feature Championship Entertainment off the ice, as the Cats are pleased to offer a Party in the Parking Lot before the game with live music from HOT 97.5. Ryan Dodge will be presenting the pregame festivities leading up to puck drop, as the Cats will be raising their 2011-12 Central Division regular season and playoff championship banners.
Friday's home opener 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 6:45.
Fans who have already purchased season tickets may pick up their tickets for 2012-13 at will call prior to Coors Light Opening Night.
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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