In a game that featured many different headlines heading into the contest, the Sherwood Park Crusaders ultimately took the final headline leaving the Centennial Civic Centre victors over the Lloydminster Bobcat’s Friday night.
With the contest featuring the Bobcat’s boasting six local skaters in the line-up, the return of Zach Kaiser and Reid Irwin to Lloydminster since the trade deadline deal that sent them to Sherwood Park, and Lloydminster native Chase Anderson taking on his former team, it wound up the depth of the Cru that propelled them to a 6-2 win.
Early on, it was penalty trouble the got the Cats behind.
On their first man-advantage of the contest, William Zapernick found the back of the net in tight beating Cale Elder, who was also making his return to the ice after being out a couple of weeks due to injury.
Six minutes later Sherwood Park added to their lead on another that in tight on the Bobcat’s net, this time it was Tanner Fincaryk.
However, late in the opening frame, it was one of the six local skaters for the Cats that created them some momentum. Scoring his first goal of the season, Matthew Mohrbutter snuck a sharp angle shot through Crusader’s goalie Carter Gylander to pull Lloydminster within one after one period.
The second period appeared to be a relatively quite one goal wise, but Carter Savoie then restored the Sherwood Park two-goal lead with just over three minutes left in the frame.
The Cru then quickly put the Bobcats in trouble quickly at the start of the third.
Just over a minute into the period Nick Bowman scored an unassisted goal on the power-play before Jacob Franczak found the back of the net a mere 32 seconds later to give the Crusaders a 5-1 edge.
Roughly three minutes later it appeared the Bobcats had pulled back within three. Mohrbutter found the back of the net for the second time in the evening, and after a goal was called a later discussion amongst the officials reversed the call ruling the Cat’s had taken a penalty prior to the goal and put them short-handed instead.
Lloydminster went on to kill the penalty and then Mohrbutter decided to find the back of the net again.
Midway through the third, the Bobcat’s rookie forward deflected home a Ryley Hogan point shot and this time securing his second goal of the contest.
Unfortunately for the Cats, the Cru would respond a little over a minute later on a Brett Wieschorster deflection to make it 6-2 and round out the scoring.
The Crusaders outshot the Bobcats 42-27 in the contest.
Sherwood Park finished 2 for 8 on the power-play, while the Bobcats went 1 for 4.
The Bobcats will now wrap up the home portion of their 2018/19 regular season when they host the Spruce Grove Saints Saturday night at the Civic Centre. Puck drop is set for 7:30.