Bismarck Bobcats
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The Bismarck Bobcats are a Tier II junior ice hockey team in the North American Hockey League's (NAHL) Central Division, and play out of Bismarck, North Dakota, in the V.F.W. Sports Center. Originally a part of the American Frontier Hockey League (and later called the America West Hockey League), the Bobcats joined the NAHL in a merger of the two leagues in 2003. In 2005, the Bobcats hosted the Robertson Cup tournament.
The Bobcats won the 2010 Robertson Cup, winning their first national championship with a 3–0 victory over the Fairbanks Ice Dogs. They won their second title in 2025 with a 4-2 victory over the Lone Star Brahmas.
History
The Bismarck Bobcats came to Bismarck in 1997 as a member of the American Frontier Hockey League (AFWHL) and played their first season at the Bismarck Civic Center, but moved to the V.F.W. Sports Center the following year. The AFHL rebranded to the America West Hockey League (AWHL) in 1998. The Bobcats won back-to-back Borne Cup titles as champions of the AWHL in 2003 and 2004. Their 2004 title was the last Borne Cup to be awarded prior to the merger between the North American Hockey League (NAHL) and AWHL for the 2004–05 season.
Byron Pool served as head coach from 2008 to 2010 and was named the NAHL "Coach of the Year" in 2009. In addition to leading the team to its first Robertson Cup title in 2010, he led the Bobcats to the most successful regular season in history in the 2008–09 season. The Bobcats won 43 games and earned 88 points in the standings, which both set franchise records. The Bobcats won consecutive Central Division playoff titles under Pool in 2009 and 2010.
Layne Sedevie became head coach in 2010, promoted from assistant coach, following Byron Pool's decision to accept an associate head coach position with the Fargo Force of the United States Hockey League. Sedevie, a Bismarck native, was a goaltender at Bemidji State University and played professionally in the Central Hockey League before serving as assistant coach under Pool for the 2009–10 season. In his first season behind the bench, he led the Bobcats to their third straight Central Division playoff championship.
The Bobcats have had five head coaches in their tenure in Bismarck including: John Becanic; Chad Johnson, Dane Litke, Pool, Layne Sedevie, and Garrett Roth.
Currently, they are the second-oldest franchise in the NAHL behind the Springfield Jr. Blues.
Rivalries
The Bobcats have two primary rivals: the Aberdeen Wings and the Minot Minotauros.
The Bobcats-Wings rivalry is centered on the Titan Machinery Dakota Cup. The Bobcats, despite being the defending national champions in 2010–11, suffered multiple setbacks against the expansion Wings in front of capacity crowds at both teams' rinks before winning the trophy by a point total of 15–11. The 2011–12 Dakota Cup was much more lopsided, as the Bobcats won the Cup 21–7, posting a 10–1–1 regular season record against the Wings. In the 2012 playoffs, the Bobcats defeated the Wings in four games in the Central Division semifinals.
The Bobcats and Tauros is a newer intrastate rivalry, and the proximity (roughly 100 miles along US-83) of the two teams that share North Dakota has already produced multiple fights.
Former Bobcats rivals include the Alexandria Blizzard, North Iowa Outlaws, and Owatonna Express.
Season-by-season records
| Season | GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | GF | GA | Finish | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Frontier Hockey League | |||||||||
| 1997–98 | 60 | 27 | 27 | 6 | 60 | 260 | 269 | 4th of 7, AFHL | Information missing |
| America West Hockey League | |||||||||
| 1998–99 | 60 | 31 | 25 | 4 | 66 | 211 | 212 | 5th of 6, AWHL | Information missing |
| 1999–2000 | 58 | 30 | 22 | 6 | 66 | 240 | 214 | 3rd of 8, AWHL | Information missing |
| 2000–01 | 60 | 32 | 24 | 4 | 68 | 248 | 228 | 5th of 9, AWHL | Information missing |
| 2001–02 | 56 | 30 | 20 | 6 | 66 | 221 | 166 | 5th of 9, AWHL | Information missing |
| 2002–03 | 56 | 37 | 13 | 6 | 80 | 231 | 159 | 2nd of 7, North 4th of 11, AWHL | Won Championship |
| North American Hockey League | |||||||||
| 2003–04 | 56 | 30 | 22 | 4 | 64 | 184 | 184 | 3rd of 7, West 9th of 21, NAHL | Won Div. Semifinal series, 3–0 (Fargo-Moorhead Jets) Won Div. Final series, 3–1 (Billings Bulls) Won Round-Robin Semifinal, 3–2 (Springfield Jr. Blues), 3–2 (Fairbanks Ice Dogs), 3–8 (Texas Tornado) Lost Robertson Cup Championship, 1–4 (Texas Tornado) |
| 2004–05 | 56 | 25 | 22 | 9 | 59 | 165 | 172 | 5th of 6, West 12th of 19, NAHL | Did not qualify |
| 2005–06 | 58 | 31 | 23 | 4 | 66 | 204 | 184 | 3rd of 5, Central 10th of 20, NAHL | Lost Div. Semifinal series, 1–3 (Fargo-Moorhead Jets) |
| 2006–07 | 62 | 26 | 30 | 6 | 58 | 193 | 221 | 5th of 6, Central 12th of 17, NAHL | Did not qualify |
| 2007–08 | 58 | 20 | 32 | 6 | 46 | 148 | 215 | 6th of 6, Central 15th of 18, NAHL | Did not qualify |
| 2008–09 | 58 | 43 | 13 | 2 | 88 | 202 | 121 | 1st of 6, Central 3rd of 19, NAHL | Won Div. Semifinal series, 3–1 (Alexandria Blizzard) Won Div. Final series, 3–2 (Owatonna Express) Lost Round-Robin Semifinal, 2–4 (Mahoning Valley Phantoms), 2–5 (St. Louis Bandits), 2–3 (Wenatchee Wild), 3–2 (2OT) (North Iowa Outlaws) |
| 2009–10 | 58 | 39 | 11 | 8 | 86 | 195 | 130 | 1st of 6, Central 4th of 19, NAHL | Won Div. Semifinal series, 3–0 (Albert Lea Thunder) Won Div. Final series, 3–0 (Alexandria Blizzard) Won Round-Robin Semifinal, 6–1 (Traverse City North Stars), 5–3 (St. Louis Bandits), 1–2 (Wenatchee Wild), 3–4 (Fairbanks Ice Dogs) Won Robertson Cup Championship, 3–0 (Fairbanks Ice Dogs) |
| 2010–11 | 58 | 31 | 22 | 5 | 67 | 179 | 156 | 4th of 6, Central 14th of 26, NAHL | Won Div. Semifinal series, 3–2 (Alexandria Blizzard) Won Div. Final series, 3–2 (Coulee Region Chill) Lost Quarterfinal Play-in series, 0–2 (Michigan Warriors) |
| 2011–12 | 60 | 45 | 13 | 2 | 92 | 237 | 160 | 1st of 5, Central 2nd of 28, NAHL | Won Div. Semifinal series, 3–1 (Aberdeen Wings) Won Div. Final series, 3–1 (Austin Bruins) Lost Round-Robin Quarterfinal, 3–2 (St. Louis Bandits), 1–5 (Port Huron Fighting Falcons), 2–6 (Amarillo Bulls) |
| 2012–13 | 60 | 35 | 16 | 9 | 79 | 183 | 140 | 2nd of 6, Central 7th of 24, NAHL | Won Div. Semifinal series, 3–0 (Brookings Blizzard) Won Div. Final series, 3–1 (Austin Bruins) Lost Round-Robin Semifinal, 4–3 (Jamestown Ironmen), 1–2 (OT) (Amarillo Bulls), 3–2 (Wenatchee Wild) |
| 2013–14 | 60 | 31 | 24 | 5 | 67 | 176 | 157 | 3rd of 5, Central 11th of 24, NAHL | Won Div. Semifinal series, 3–0 (Aberdeen Wings) Lost Div. Final series, 2–3 (Austin Bruins) |
| 2014–15 | 60 | 30 | 26 | 4 | 64 | 185 | 185 | 3rd of 5, Central 13th of 24, NAHL | Lost Div. Semifinal series, 0–3 (Minot Minotauros) |
| 2015–16 | 60 | 37 | 19 | 4 | 78 | 185 | 133 | 1st of 6, Central 4th of 22, NAHL | Won Div. Semifinal series, 3–1 (Brookings Blizzard) Won Div. Final series, 3–2 (Austin Bruins) Lost Robertson Cup Semifinal series, 0–2 (Wichita Falls Wildcats) |
| 2016–17 | 60 | 28 | 30 | 2 | 58 | 187 | 209 | 5th of 6, Central 19th of 24, NAHL | Did not qualify |
| 2017–18 | 60 | 24 | 30 | 6 | 54 | 165 | 184 | 5th of 6, Central 18th of 23, NAHL | Did not qualify |
| 2018–19 | 60 | 34 | 21 | 5 | 73 | 182 | 163 | 3rd of 6, Central 8th of 24, NAHL | Lost Div. Semifinal series, 0–3 (Minot Minotauros) |
| 2019–20 | 52 | 32 | 12 | 8 | 72 | 178 | 130 | 2nd of 6, Central t-6th of 23, NAHL | Postseason cancelled |
| 2020–21 | 56 | 29 | 21 | 6 | 64 | 173 | 151 | 2nd of 6, Central 9th of 23, NAHL | Won Div. Semifinal series, 3–0 (Minnesota Wilderness) Lost Div. Final series, 0–3 (Aberdeen Wings) |
| 2021–22 | 60 | 29 | 27 | 4 | 62 | 210 | 206 | 4th of 6, Central 19th of 29, NAHL | Lost Div. Semifinal series, 2–3 (St. Cloud Norsemen) |
| 2022–23 | 60 | 29 | 25 | 6 | 64 | 197 | 182 | 5th of 6, Central 18th of 29, NAHL | Did not qualify |
| 2023–24 | 60 | 40 | 16 | 4 | 84 | 209 | 145 | 2nd of 6 Central 4th of 32 NAHL | Won Div. Semifinal series, 3–2 (Aberdeen Wings) Lost Div. Final series, 1–3 (Minot Minotauros) |
| 2024–25 | 59 | 47 | 10 | 2 | 96 | 206 | 103 | 1st of 8 Central 1st of 35 NAHL | Won Div. Semifinal series, 3–2 (Aberdeen Wings) Won Div. Final series, 3–1 (Austin Bruins) Won Robertson Cup Semifinal series, 2–1 (Rochester Jr. Americans) Won Robertson Cup Championship, 4–2 (Lone Star Brahmas) |