Bobcats Stopped by Austin in Season Finale
March 30, 2014 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Bismarck Bobcats News Release
BISMARCK, ND--Two early Bruin power play goals set the tone in the season finale, as Austin topped the Bismarck Bobcats 4-1 Saturday night at the VFW Sports Center in Bismarck.
Austin (40-19-1) clinched the NAHL Central Division title with three goals on the man-advantage, finishing 3-6 on the power play for the evening. The Bobcats were empty in five power-play chances.
Bismarck (31-24-5) was assured third place entering the night, but was unsure of their first-round playoff opponent. With Austin's win, the Bobcats draw Aberdeen Friday night in Aberdeen.
The Bruins capitalized on their first two attempts on the power play in the opening frame. Scott Nelson scored after Nate Repensky (Duluth, MN) was hit for checking from behind at 5:10, with the goal just 38 seconds after the penalty.
Huba Sekesi (Munich, Germany) was then nailed for interference at 9:41, and Guillaume Leclerc found the back of the net at 10:23, building the Bruin lead to 2-0.
Nathan Flynn (Hastings, MN) brought life back to the Bobcats with a goal in the final minute of the period, teaming with Ryan Callahan (Grafton, ND) and Matt Anders (Lafayette, CO) at 19:12, trimming the lead to 2-1. The Bobcats outshot the Bruins 15-7 in the first period.
But Flynn's score would be the lone Bobcat goal of the night. Jay Dickman added a third power-play goal after Tanner Salsberry (Plainfield, IL) was hit for cross-checking at 10:58, with the goal coming at 11:20. Drew Anderson then scored the final goal of the night at 19:19 of the second, expanding the lead to 4-1.
After being outshot badly Friday night, the Bobcats fired 31 shots on Nick Lehr Saturday, but scored only once, dropping their second 4-1 decision of the weekend. After winning five straight through the first weekend of February, the Bobcats dropped 12 of the last 15 games heading into the playoffs.
Bismarck will travel to Aberdeen to face the Wings in Game 1 of the best-of-five Central Division semifinals Friday night, with faceoff scheduled for 7:15 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Supertalk 1270, KLXX, with pregame coverage at 6:50 p.m. The game will also be seen on Fast Hockey, with links to both the radio broadcast and webcast found at www.bismarckbobcats.com.
North American Hockey League Stories from March 30, 2014
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- Aberdeen Blanks Wild In Regular Season Finale - Wenatchee Wild
- Bobcats Stopped by Austin in Season Finale - Bismarck Bobcats
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