Aberdeen Wings fans were treated to bonus hockey Saturday night inside the Odde Ice Center, but the outcome didn’t go their way as they fell 3-2 against the Bismarck Bobcats.
The Wings got on the board first and held the lead into the third period, but the Bobcats evened the score and found the overtime game-winner, giving Aberdeen their third consecutive loss.
Aberdeen kicked off scoring when Dylan Wegner took a pass in the neutral zone and skated into Bismarck territory, dangling around a defenseman before cutting into the crease and driving the puck into the back of the net. It was his sixth goal on the season, while Nick Justice picked up his third assist.
Each team killed off two penalties and Aberdeen outshot Bismarck 11-9 in the opening period, taking the one-goal lead into the first break.
The Wings widened their lead early in the second when Luke Backel took advantage of a Bismarck turnover deep in their zone. The Bobcats had control of the puck and were looking to break out of their zone when a player whiffed on the pass, and Backel was there to turn and fire at the 2:22 mark. The unassisted goal was his second on the weekend, fourth overall.
Each team killed off another penalty in the middle stanza and Aberdeen once again outshot Bismarck, this time 13-10, taking the two-goal cushion into the final intermission.
But the Bobcats put on the pressure to even the score in the third. The first goal came when Patrick Johnson put in a rebound at the 2:20 mark, and Adam Pietila evened the score at the 12:37 mark. The Wings killed off a penalty late in the third and had a couple good chances to take the lead back, but the score remained even when the final horn sounded.
And each team fired off a shot in the overtime period before Evan Hunter got the game-winner for the Bobcats just over three minutes into the overtime period.
Overall, the Wings outshot the Bobcats for the second time on the weekend, edging them out 33-30. Both teams went 0-4 on the power play, while Wings goaltender Cole Moore denied 27 of the shots he faced.
After a long five-game stretch against the Bobcats, the Wings eye a fresh opponent in the Minot Minotauros next weekend, Feb. 3-4, inside the Odde once again. It’s another specialty jersey weekend benefitting SPURS Therapeutic Riding Center. Stay tuned to AberdeenWings.com and our social media pages for more details.
Tickets are available now ahead of the weekend’s games online at tickets.AberdeenWings.com, or at the door on game nights. $10 general admission tickets are also available at any C-Express location in Aberdeen, with additional purchase.