Coming off a tough weekend road trip against two of the top three teams in the North Division, the Lloydminster Bobcats (22-30-2) will try to find their way back into the win column this afternoon when they host the Camrose Kodiaks (21-21-12). Today’s game will mark the final inter-division match-up of the season for the Cats with their final five games of the season against the Sherwood Park Crusaders and Grand Prairie Storm. Puck drop is at 2:30 p.m. at the Centennial Civic Centre. Today, will be the final meeting of the regular season between Lloydminster and Camrose. Today’s contest can be heard starting at 2:15 with Lloydminster Bobcats Hockey on Real Country 95.9.
Heading In: Bobcats Come Up Empty in Weekend Road Trip With games in Whitecourt and Spruce Grove over the weekend, the Bobcats knew they were in tough, and came up just a little bit short in each game. On Friday night the Wolverines earned a split of the season series with the Cats following a 3-1 win, before the Spruce Grove Saints downed the Cats 3-2 on Saturday. A power-play goal and short-handed marker from Zach Kaiser had given Lloydminster a 2-0 lead over Spruce, however, constant pressure from the Saints wound up being just a little too much for the Bobcats, despite a 51 save performance from Bailey Brkin.
Head to Head
The Bobcats and Kodiaks have met just one time so far this season with that game taking place in Camrose on November 25th. Despite a depleted line-up, the Bobcats nearly came away with a full two points but instead had to settle for just one. A late Kodiaks goal tied the game 1-1, before Camrose won it in overtime with only one second remaining in the extra session. Rylan Nivon had the lone goal for the Cats, while Nick Sanders stopped 42 shots.
Buckle Up!
With the AJHL regular season schedule set to wrap-up in just under two weeks, the race is on for positioning and the Lloydminster Bobcats find themselves right in the thick of things. Just two points back of Sherwood Park for 5th and five points back of Grand Prairie for 4th, the Cats will have an opportunity to make their move in the near future. Lloydminster’s final five games of the season will be against the Crusaders and Storm. It’s the best time of year, and there would be no better start for Lloydminster then picking up a Family Day win over Camrose.
Upcoming Schedule
Bobcats @ Sherwood Park – Friday February 23, 7:00 p.m. – Sherwood Park Arena
Grand Prairie @ Bobcats – Sunday February 25, 2:30 p.m. – Centennial Civic Centre
Sherwood Park @ Bobcats – Wednesday February 28, 7:30 p.m. – Centennial Civic Centre