First you will hear from assistant coach for the Bobcats and all-time leading scorer – Garrett Roth. Then the take from Minot head coach and general manager – Marty Murray. Below is the exchange from emails we sent the two coaches prior to this weekend’s game.:
Q1: What makes the Hwy 83 rivalry fun for you?
GR: The rivalry between the city of Minot and Bismarck has been big for a long time. So it is only fitting that the two teams continue that tradition. Minot is a well coached team that competes hard and we have had a lot of really intense games over the past few years.
Q2: What have you seen out of of Zach Kennedy that really made you want to bring him over into the Bobcat uniform?
GR: We have liked the way Kennedy has played for the past 2 years. He was a player we identified during last year’s playoffs as a player to try to go after in the off-season since we knew we had very few returners and knowing he was a leader both on and off the ice.
Q3: What should the Sheriff Patrol watch for in the upcoming Minot game?
GR: I think it should be a fast paced Game with a lot of energy. Minot is undefeated so it will be a good test for us to see where we are at in the early stages of the season.
Q4: What has been the key to the power play success?
GR: The key to our power play has been the urgency we have had while having the man advantage. Sometimes players get a little complacent with the approach and they struggle to create good scoring chances. We have been able to attack the opponents penalty kill and produce.
Q5: How do you plan to shut down Minot this weekend?
GR: We want to play well defensively and limit their scoring chances inside the dots. We want to also have a good relentless forecheck that we can create turnovers from and outnumber them around the net.
Minot head coach Marty Murray responded to some questions too:
Q1: How are you going to replace Sam who went to Cedar Rapids?
Sam is a tough player to replace. He was a big part of our team last year, and is a great leader. We used him in all situations, and was a heart and soul player for us. But in saying that, we have had many of our defensemen step up and do a great job thus far.
Q2: Do you still have a lot of people on your team from training camp like the Bobcats do? Or are you down to the 23-player NAHL minimum?
We are still at 26 players here in Minot. We still have to make some tough decisions, and our players have done a very nice job to start the season. In the next week, we will need to get our roster size down.
Q3: What has impressed you most about your Hwy 83 rivals so far?
It’s just good hockey! The intensity with the players and passion with the fans, makes it one of the bigger rivalries I’ve been a part of.
Q4: Unlike the Bobcats you have come out of the gate flying (undefeated)! What do you attribute your fast start to?
We are happy with our start for sure, but we haven’t been perfect. There are still things we need to improve on. We know that every other team in our division will improve, and that has to be our focus as well. We have an older, veteran filled team, so the time is now to have results.
Q5: What is your favorite part about the rivalry between the Bobcats and Minotauros?
Like I said above, just the intensity and pride that both teams have is incredible. Both arenas create an awesome environment that brings out the best in both teams.
Q6: Can you tell us a little bit about why the team has been so hot in your opinion? Does it have anything to do with Lucas Murray?
We have an older team, and I think having a large number of veterans has helped us come out of the gates well. And Lucas is one of the vets that I’m talking about. He has been very solid in all of his starts and brings a calmness to our group. Actually, all of goalies have played extremely well and have given us a chance to win every night.
You can expect this weekend’s rivalry to be very spicy with the addition of former Bruins player Zach Kennedy because he can get under your skin! Although so can coach Marty Murray! If you cannot go to the game, listen to Paul Teeple as he brings your hockey action to the radio on channel AM 1270.
