Bobcats Travel to Aberdeen as Standings Tighten
November 27, 2015 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Bismarck Bobcats News Release
ABERDEEN, SD - With the Central Division standings growing closer one-third of the way through the season, the Bismarck Bobcats hit the road Saturday to face the Aberdeen Wings at the Odde Ice Center.
Coming into Saturday, just 11 points separate first and last place in the Central-putting points at a premium for the Bobcats, who have not risen above .500 since opening weekend.
With a chance to move back into playoff position Wednesday following a resounding 8-1 win the previous game in Austin, the Bobcats scored first at home against the Brookings Blizzard then conceded four straight goals in a 6-4 loss.
"There aren't any moral victories-not anymore," stated Bobcats head coach and general manager Layne Sedevie following Wednesday's contest. "This team is too good to be under .500, but we haven't played with any consistency."
At 2-2-2 over their last six games, Aberdeen has pulled into a tie for fifth with the Bobcats thanks to 12 combined points in that span from rookie Carter Roo (2g, 5a) and veteran Tucker DeYoung (5a).
Aberdeen has drawn even with the Cats on the strength of the best special teams in the Central Division, with a power play operating at 20.0%--having provided 12 of the Wings' 44 goals this season-and an 86.9% penalty kill that is tied with Brookings for fourth in the league.
Returning forwards Alex Strand (9g, 8a) and Willie Brown (6g, 11a) have taken over the team lead in scoring for the Bobcats, while Hunter Shepard has collected all nine of the Cats' wins in net.
Special teams remain a struggle for the Bobcats, who are 17th league-wide in both power play (15.0%) and penalty kill (79.7%).
Saturday's installment of the Titan Machinery Dakota Cup 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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