Top Line Powers Bobcats' 4-1 Victory
Published on January 30, 2015 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Bismarck Bobcats News Release
BISMARCK, ND "" One week ago, Bismarck Bobcats head coach and general manager declared his unit of J.M. Piotrowski, Jared Pike and Jared Turcotte to be his top line. Friday, the forward group backed that talk up: combining for nine points as the Cats pulled away for a 4-1 win over the Aberdeen Wings at the VFW Sports Center.
Following a scoreless first period, Piotrowski put the Bobcats on the board just 61 seconds into the middle frame, batting home a Turcotte rebound before Wings goalie Andrew Shortridge could recover to his left for his 12th goal of the year.
Aberdeen leveled the score 1:46 later on a 2-on-1 that Bjorn Sigurdarsson cashed in on a backhander that beat Hunter Shepard inside the left post.
Veteran blueliner Tony German broke the tie with 9:21 to go in the second, blasting an Anthony Song faceoff win through traffic and in off Shortridge, lifting the Cats to a 2-1 edge.
Piotrowski extended the home side's advantage to 3-1 in the third, slamming home his own rebound on the rush with 12:22 remaining in the game for his seventh tally of the month.
With 9:41 of play to be settled, Pike put an exclamation mark on the Bobcats' three-goal surge, taking an entry pass from Piotrowski, shrugging off an Aberdeen defender and blasting a shot past Shortridge's blocker to stretch the score to the final margin of 4-1.
On the night, the trio of Piotrowski, Pike and Turcotte totaled three goals and six assists.
"Now that needs to carry over to all four of our lines," stressed Sedevie, whose team seized a 13-3 cushion in the Titan Machinery Dakota Cup with the win. "Those guys played with energy and tenacity and strength all night long and their effort was definitely reflected on the score sheet."
Shepard picked up his 10th win of the season on 18 saves, plus poke checks on Jackson Graalum and Michael Soucier that diffused scoring chances in the first and third, respectively. Shortridge took the loss despite 34 stops.
The two sides will reconvene Saturday for the weekend finale at 7:15pm at the VFW Sports Center.
Tickets are on sale now for the final act of the Cats' three-game home stand: fans can buy and print tickets online 24 hours a day at BismarckBobcats.com or charge by phone at 222-3300.
Live coverage of Saturday's rematch will begin at 6:45pm 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.
Though the 2014-15 season is over half way through, there is still time to order season tickets for the year; fans who want to lock in their seats for the remainder of the campaign should call the Bobcat office at 222-3300 today!
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