Piechowski game winner sends Bobcats to West finals

Tim Piechowski (‘00/Eden Prairie, Minn.) was the fifth different shooter to score for the visiting Bismarck Bobcats near the halfway mark of the final period at Northwoods Credit Union Arena in Cloquet, Minn.

The goal gave the Bobcats a 5-3 lead in the contest and ultimately stood up as the game and series clincher as the Bobcats defeated the Wilderness 5-4 and wrapped up a three-game sweep in their North American Hockey League (NAHL) West Division Best of Five semifinal series.

After 5-3 and 6-3 wins on home ice the previous weekend, the Bobcats relied on goaltender Cameron Corpi (‘04/South Lyon, Mich.) in the middle period which ended up being the key to the game victory.

Even at 1-1 after 20-minutes, the Wilderness stepped up the attack on home ice, but the Cats owned a 3-2 deficit heading to the final frame despite being doubled up 14-7 on shots.

Nico Chmelevski (‘02/Northville, Mich.) extended the lead to 4-2 just past the five-minute mark of the third, setting up a run of three goals in under four minutes, wrapped up by Piechowski completing a sandwich on a goal from Mikol Sartor (‘01/Winnipeg, Man.) for the Wilderness.

The Wilderness pulled back within one with 8:13 to play, Donte Lawson (‘00/Taconite, Minn.) pulling the trigger, but that was as close as the Wilderness could get in this one as Corpi wrapped up a 31-save win.

Other Bobcats’ goals came from Luke Gramer (‘02/Moorhead, Minn.) and Lars Rodne (‘00/Stavanger, Norway) while Zach Michaelis (‘02/Elk River, Minn.) and Will Traeger (‘02/Mendota Heights, Minn.) fired Wilderness markers.

The Bobcats await a winner of the other West Division semi-final. The Aberdeen Wings currently hold a 2-0 lead in the Best of Five set against the Minot Minotauros with game three scheduled for Thursday (May 27) at Maysa Arena in Minot.

This was the lone game scheduled for Tuesday (May 25) in the NAHL playoffs.