Bobcats best MOB, playoff-ready

TAYLOR WEAVER EDITOR

It was another big win for the Lloydminster Bobcats as they bested the Fort McMurray Oil Barons (MOB) 4-3 on Tuesday night at the Centennial Civic Centre.

‘Cats forward Kade Fendelet was first to light the lamp with a goal at the 11:39 mark in the first.

Hayden Prosofsky would get another goal for the ‘Cats at 5:47 in the second, which was quickly answered with a MOB goal at 8:37.

The third and final frame consisted of 20 minutes of actionpacked hockey and saw Bobcats goals from Connor Burke and Kade Fendelet, his second of the night. The MOB also got two more on the board, but ultimately, it was the ‘Cats skating into this weekend’s final two home games on a high note.

“For us, we had a good first period, we weren’t great in the second, but we had a good response in the third,” said ‘Cats head coach and general manager Nigel Dube.

“Connor Burke getting an early shorthanded goal on the first shift kinda set the tone. It was a big night by Fonz (Kade Fendelet) up front and our young guys really led the charge.”

A Lloyd boy himself, Fendelet has been making waves during his inaugural season of Junior hockey with 14pts and 62 PIM in 48 games, and with two goals on Tuesday, he was feeling pretty good.

“It’s pretty exciting and especially good to get the win out there tonight,” he said.

The ‘Cats had a phenomenal February, winning seven of their last nine games, and with only two games remaining in the regular season, Dube feels good going into playoffs.

“It’s huge we’ve been on home ice so much in February,” he said.

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“It wasn’t an ideal schedule for the first two-thirds of the season, but the last third was in our favour; we knew we had to push through those first two to get to the third.

“I thought our group’s been responsive, and by the crowds here too, there’s energy here every night with over 1,000 a couple times ... the excitement for our guys to play in front of them, and for them, I think is a driving force for those wins.”

If there’s been a key to the Bobcats’ secondhalf success, Dube said it boils down to the team knowing they have to work harder.

“I think we learned we have to play a lot harder and a lot heavier in the first half,” he said. “We probably didn’t give ourselves an opportunity and we’ve been giving ourselves an opportunity to get in there. It’s been huge.”

In Fendelet’s opinion, the key to the team’s recent success all starts in the locker room.

“Everything’s just clicking in the room,” he said.

“Everyone’s bought in, we know what we’re playing for, and we want to keep this season going as long as we can.

“We’re playing to go as deep as we can in playoffs and make a run out there.”

It would be really awesome seeing everyone cheering us on this weekend.

The ‘Cats wrap the regular season with back-to-back homers against the Grande Prairie Storm this weekend at the Civic. The first game is Saturday with a 7 p.m. puck drop and the second is Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

Going into the final two games before playoffs, Fendelet said he and the boys feel good.

“Big weekend coming up for us, final games of the regular season, so hopefully (we’ll) finish that off right and head in on the right foot,” he said, adding the fact it’s been unreal to see so many fans in the stands.

“It’s awesome when we have good crowds, so it would be really awesome seeing everyone cheering us on this weekend.”

With the regular season so close to being over and everyone battling for playoff positioning, the ‘Cats aren’t 100 per cent sure who they’ll face in the first round of the playoffs, but it may end up being their rivals from Bonnyville.

“It doesn’t matter where we are in the standings, who we’re going to play or who’s coming up on these games left, it’s just a matter of winning hockey games,” said Dube. “When you’re winning hockey games you’re feeling good about yourself, so that’s been the message.

“We just have to worry about winning and the process to get there. I know that’s a cliché in hockey, but I thought our process on Tuesday gave us the opportunity to have the third period we did; we need to have more of that.”