Bulls split weekend series with Bismarck
January 6, 2005 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Billings Bulls News Release
After a subpar effort Friday night at home against Bismarck, it didn't take long at all for the Bulls to exact some revenge on the Bobcats. The Bulls rolled to a 5-2 win Saturday night at the VFW Sports Center in Bismarck. The Bulls needed a solid effort following the 6-2 dismantling they took the night before by the Bobcats. The Bulls were starved for offense Friday night at the MetraPark as they were only able to pot home two goals (A.J. Woodward and Gabe Harren) past the solid of goaltending of Bismarck's Aaron Walski. Meanwhile, the Bobcats seemed to capitalize on every offensive chance they got, scoring six goals on just 28 shots.
Saturday night was a whole different story, though. The Bulls rebounded after an early 1-0 deficit with a pair of goals from Brian Kaufman and Mike Mayra and never looked back from there. The Bulls notched the only two goals of the second period (Harren and Anthony Cosmano) and then added an insurance marker in the third off the blade of Brett Gorman as the Bulls cruised to a 5-2 victory. Aaron Damjanovich was given the start between the pipes and registered 27 saves on 29 shots for his fourth win of the season.
Saturday's game between the Bulls and the Bobcats marks the end of the six-game season series between the two clubs. The Bulls went 2-4 against Bismarck this season and the two teams will only see each other again this season if they should meet in the playoffs.
For the Bulls' home game this past Friday night, the team was aiming to set the record for highest attendance at an NAHL game. The Bulls planned a number of special promotions and gave away several thousand free tickets in the hopes of drawing a record-setting crowd. They needed nearly 8,000 fans in the building to break the record but unfortunately only drew about half that many. Still, the nearly 4,000 fans in the MetraPark this past Friday provided quite an electric atmosphere for New Year's Eve with the Billings Bulls.
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North American Hockey League Stories from January 6, 2005
- Blizzard-Jets game rescheduled - NAHL
- U.S. National Team finishes fifth at 2005 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge - U.S. National Team
- Bulls split weekend series with Bismarck - Billings Bulls
- Bobcats hope new blood means wins - Bismarck Bobcats
- Phantoms focus on Soo, announce first college signing - Mahoning Valley Phantoms
- Wildcats go 1-1, Teddy Bear Toss a success - Wichita Falls Wildcats
- Spirit win pair on road, then drop New Year's tilt - Alaska Avalanche
- Icedogs look to chip away at division rival's lead - Bozeman Icedogs
- Tornado win third straight Newmarket Showcase - Texas Tornado
- Jets reclaim first in NAHL West - Fargo-Moorhead Jets
- First Blizzard game of 2005 this Friday - Alexandria Blizzard
- Wins over Texarkana earn Hatch co-winner of Sher-Wood NAHL Defensive Player of the Week - NAHL
- Spirit's Erickson leads from blueline to grab share of Sher-Wood NAHL Defensive Player of the Week - NAHL
- New Bobcat Fulton's five-point week captures Sher-wood NAHL Offensive Player of the Week award - NAHL
- NAHL announces All-Star team, coaches and staff who will face Tornado - NAHL
- Blizzard player commits to Division I Hockey program - Alexandria Blizzard
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