Rookies Run Wild as Cats Drop Wings 3-1
September 23, 2011 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Bismarck Bobcats News Release
BISMARCK, ND - The Bismarck Bobcats won their first HomeOpener in three years as they blanketed the Aberdeen Wings for a 3-1 victory Friday at the VFW Sports Center.
"I was pleased with our effort," noted Bobcats head coachLayne Sedevie, "we had a gameplan coming in and our guys stuck to it for nearly60 minutes and picked up a nice win."
Following a scoreless first period, Aberdeen appeared topull ahead in a rollercoaster second on a defensive zone steal converted to ascore by Wings forward Loren French with 11:55 left in the middle frame- but thewould-be go-ahead marker was wiped out by a too many men on the ice penalty tothe Wings, so the game stayed scoreless.
5:08 later, on an extended 4-on-4, Tyler Richter pushedthe Cats in front on a 2-on-2 rush: gaining separation from the Aberdeendefense on a lead pass from Shane Omdahl and crushing a low liner offgoaltender Hunter Leisner and into the net for a 1-0 Bobcat lead.
Rookie Patrick Moore extended the lead to 2-0, pinpointinga top-shelf wrist shot over Leisner's blocker with 39 seconds left as the CoorsLight Opening Night crowd of 1,022 roared its approval.
"What a great pass from Omdahl," beamed Moore, who hailsfrom Grand Rapids, Minn., "he found me wide open and, when any of us get thatkind of time and space, those are the goals that we have to convert."
Moore collected his second tally of the night on thepower play with 5:26 left in the third, pinballing a shot in traffic pastLeisner for a 3-0 Bobcat cushion.
Omdahl, Moore's fellow rookie, assisted on all threeBobcat goals.
Bobcat netminder Tommy Burke had his shutout spoiled withone second left in regulation as Paul Prescott finished a Wings rush for a 3-1final margin.
"A big part of our success tonight was on the penaltykill," credited Burke, who secured his second win of the young season. "Theforwards were really active blocking shots, the defense cleared traffic well infront of me and whenever we had a defensive zone faceoff on the 'PK,' ourcenters were getting big wins."
The penalty kill negated all five Aberdeen power plays;the Wings entered the game with a 33.3% power play efficiency- good for secondleague-wide.
Burke finished with 19 saves for the victory.
Leisner made numerous highlight-reel saves on his way to39 stops, but it wasn't enough for the second-year goalie to drop to 2-2-0 onthe year.
"That game could've been a lot worse, I think, but Hunterwas fantastic between the pipes for us," added Wings assistant coach andall-time Bobcats leading scorer Garrett Roth.
The Bobcats turn right around and face another big-timerival Saturday as the Alexandria Blizzard come to town for a 7:15 PM faceoff atthe VFW Sports Center.
Saturday's playoff rematch will be broadcast locally onthe radio home of Bobcat Hockey, Super Talk 1270, KLXX-AM, and worldwide on theofficial internet television partner of the NAHL, FASTHockey, athttp://nahl.fasthockey.com. Pregamecoverage gets under way at 6:45.
Season tickets are nowon sale for the 2011-12 season- and going fast! Call the Bobcat Hockey office at(701) 222-3300 or email gobobcathockey@aol.com for more information onreserving your seats for the upcoming season!
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North American Hockey League Stories from September 23, 2011
- Avs Slip by Wild, 2-1 - Wenatchee Wild
- Rookies Run Wild as Cats Drop Wings 3-1 - Bismarck Bobcats
- Jacks Fall In Overtime - Odessa Jackalopes
- Fighting Falcons Begin Divisional Play on the Road - Port Huron Fighting Falcons
- Amarillo Bulls Forward Joe Kozlak Commits to Army for 2012-2013 - Amarillo Bulls
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