After having their four game win streak snapped Saturday night, the Lloydminster Bobcats (15-23-2) will try to quickly dust themselves off when they visit the Whitecourt Wolverines (24-10-5) on Tuesday. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m. at the Scott Safety Centre. Although the calendar has already turned to 2018, tonight will mark Lloydminster’s first trip to Whitecourt this season. The two teams met for the first time just before the new year, with the Cats taking both games of a weekend series. Tonight’s contest can be heard starting at 7:15 with Lloydminster Bobcats Hockey on Real Country 95.9.
Heading In: Cats Look to Bounce Back From Loss to Fort McMurray For the first time since December 20th, the Lloydminster Bobcats are heading into a contest trying to bounce back from a loss. The Bobcats four-game winning streak came to a halt Saturday night with a 5-3 loss to the Fort McMurray Oil Barons. Zach Kaiser scored twice in the loss, and Kobe Walker added a goal, as the Bobcats top line (with Tucker Scantlebury) combined for 6 points.
Head to Head
So far this season, the Bobcats and Wolverines have only met twice. Both of those games were played at the Civic Centre at the end of December. The Bobcats went on to win both games by one, 2-1 and 3-2. However, with a home record of 12-3-3, the Wolverines have proven to be one of the toughest teams to play in their home barn.
Taking Advantage of the Man-Advantage
All of a sudden the Lloydminster Bobcats power-play has shown major signs of improvement. Having the lowest ranked power-play in the AJHL heading into the Christmas break, the Bobcats have now scored power-play goals in each of their last four games, while going 6 for 23 during that stretch (26.1%). That streak started against Whitecourt just before the new year, when the Bobcats managed to score a power-play goal in each of their two meetings. Execution will be key for the Cats in any attempt to continue that trend on Tuesday. The Wolverines boast the second-best penalty kill in the league. This season, Whitecourt has only allowed 20 power-play goals on 155 attempts, good for an 87.1% penalty kill.
Upcoming Schedule
Bobcats @ Drayton Valley – Wednesday January 10, 7:30 p.m. – Centennial Civic Centre Calgary Mustangs @ Bobcats – Saturday January 13, 7:30 p.m. – Centennial Civic Centre Bobcats @ Whitecourt – Friday January 19, 7:30 p.m. – Centennial Civic Centre