Aberdeen 0 @ Bismarck 1 – In a battle of two of the best goalies in the NAHL this season, it was Bismarck’s Hunter Shepard outlasting Aberdeen’s Peter Thome as Bismarck blanked the Wings, 1-0. A late 1st period goal from Oskars Batna proved to be the difference, which featured assists from Jared Pike and Patrik Demel. The shutout was Shepard’s 6th of the season, which tied him for the league lead. Shepard stopped all 22 shots in the win, while Thome made 30 saves in the loss. Boxscore
Aberdeen 1 @ Bismarck 3 – Hunter Shepard made 20 saves to lead the Bobcats to a 3-1 win over the Wings to complete a weekend home sweep and move back into sole possession of 1st place in the Central Division. The Bobcats took a 1-0 lead early in the game with a power play goal from Cole Souto. After a scoreless 2nd period, the Bobcats pushed the lead to 2-0 with a shorthanded tally from Aaron Herdt, which would end up as the game-winner. Kevin Fitzgerald scored for Aberdeen with just over five minutes remaining in regulation to snap Shepard’s second straight shutout bid. Jared Pike added an empty-net goal to secure the win. Peter Thome made 20 saves in the loss. Boxscore
The two losses dropped the Wings back to 5th place in the division with 43 points, just 1 point behind the Brookings Rangers who split their weekend series at home vs Minot. They remain 1 point ahead of the Minnesota Magicians who the Wings welcome into the Odde this Friday and Saturday. With the month of February coming to an end we are set up for an exciting month of March and first two weeks of April as the Wings make their final playoff push. Meet the Wings at Qdoba in Aberdeen this Monday February 29th from 7:15-8:30 for a meet and greet autograph & photo session.