BROOKINGS – The Blizzard moved one step closer to the 2017 playoffs.
Brookings defeated Bismarck, 4-2, on Friday night at Larson Ice Center to improve to 28-24-4-1 with 61 points and fourth place in the Central Division – a win away from clinching a post
This item is available in full to subscribers.
To continue reading, you will need to either log in to your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription.
If you are a current print subscriber, you can set up a free website account and connect your subscription to it by clicking here.
If you are a digital subscriber with an active, online-only subscription then you already have an account here. Just reset your password if you've not yet logged in to your account on this new site.
Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.
Please log in to continue |
BROOKINGS – The Blizzard moved one step closer to the 2017 playoffs.
Brookings defeated Bismarck, 4-2, on Friday night at Larson Ice Center to improve to 28-24-4-1 with 61 points and fourth place in the Central Division – a win away from clinching a postseason berth.
“We have to clean up the game – we gave them a lot of opportunities through the middle; we were throwing pucks, but our goaltending and a few players played really well – stepped it up for us to be the difference makers,” said Blizzard head coach Dan Daikawa. “Tomorrow, we have to obviously be a lot better – it’s kind of like trying to finish somebody off in the playoffs – we’re trying to get in and we’re trying to make sure that they don’t have an opportunity to get in.
“Closing people out is fairly hard, so we have to make sure that the details of our game are better – getting pucks in; deeper; not turning pucks over on the blue line – and we need to shoot the puck a little bit more, as well.”
The fifth-place Bobcats got on the scoreboard seven minutes into the game with a power-play goal by Tobias Fladeby, but the home team turned the tables and tied it up with just under seven minutes to play in the period when Connor Koviak lit the lamp with a short-handed goal off assists from Paul Cotter and Parker Revering.
The second period belonged to the Blizzard as they outshot Bismarck, 12-5, to score three times and took a 4-1 lead into the final frame.
Brenden Stanko found the back of the net just 75 seconds in to make it 2-1 as Brandon Kruse and Nicholas Cardelli earned assists.
Koviak netted his second goal with less than six minutes on the clock, with the helpers going to Doug Larson and Paul Cotter.
Cotter scored with 2:57 on the clock off assists by Cade Borchardt and Koviak for the three-goal advantage.
The Bobcats scored less than five minutes into the third period on Mitchell Walinski’s goal, but couldn’t get another one past Josh Boyko as the Blizzard held on for the 4-2 win.
Boyko finished with 24 saves as Brookings held a 27-26 edge in shots but the Blizzard went 0-for-2 on power-play chances, while Bismarck converted 1-of-7 opportunities.
