Thursday, at the VFW SportsCenter in Bismarck, is a dress rehearsal for the Bobcats first round playoff match-up with Alexandria. This will be a best of five series. The Blizzard are coached by Brad Willner, have plenty of talent, and tasted a run at the Robertson Cup one year ago. The Bobcats come off of a Central Division title and have plenty of stars themselves, including a two-time player of the week, David Bosner, and plenty of skaters that are moving on to the next level, like their captain at home, John Clark. Here’s what Coach Byron Pool and the Central Division champs need to focus on in order to get out of the first round. They need to stop Alexandria’s key weapons Jerry Freismuth, Joe Knoepke, and Kyle Politz. Knoepke has been a Bobcat killer all season long. When the Bobcats have power-plays, they must capitalize on them and be smart (no stupid penalties, stay out of the box).
When the Bobcats see Alexandria, they must be physical and take the body, within the rules of the game. Something else to look forward to in their first round match-up is which team has fresher legs. It will be a testament of endurance. Something that I am really looking forward to is no shootout. If we are tied at the end of three periods, overtime. If we are tied after that, more overtime.
