Bobcat hockey defeats Griz, surges into postseason

The Bobcat Club Hockey team has made a statement. With a 3-0 win over the Griz, the Cats capped off a truly sublime regular season.

With the victory, they also completed a season sweep of the Griz in which they outscored UM 22-6 over the course of their four contests this year.

“Every game, especially when we get toward the playoffs, becomes that much more important,” said Head Coach Dave Weaver. “When you add that it's against the Griz, it’s that much more exciting. The guys were excited.” It was also senior night for two players, Ryan Perius and Orion Herman.

“Ryan has played six years here, Orion played five,” Weaver said. “Both of them are generational players who don’t come around very often.”

“Ryan was a 4 year captain, which I don’t think is gonna happen again. Everything that happens on and off the ice is incredible. Impossible to replace. One of the best guys, humans, that I’ve ever coached,” Weaver said. Perius’ legacy was cemented on Saturday with the retirement of his jersey number.

But, there isn’t too much time for the team to linger on the sentimental. With the playoffs set to begin shortly, the focus and determination of the team has shifted to the big picture. The biggest picture, as a matter of fact.

Weaver said a run at the national title is in play, and the uber-successful season the Cats are coming off of certainly backs the notion up. The team finished 24-7, a substantial improvement over the previous year’s mark of 19-11. Their play was good enough to keep them high in the rankings for the entirety of the season, and they finished ranked in the top 10 for D2 teams in both winning percentage and goal differential.

“We’ve been building over the last several years,” Weaver said. “We came in this year with a lot of confidence.”

“We won a game at nationals last year, and that was a confidence builder. We added some good players, some top scorers that really helped. This team’s got a legitimate shot at winning a national title.”

Speaking on the mentality of getting ready for a run at the championship, Weaver said, “You have to take one game at a time, obviously. We’re defending the league playoffs, we’re focused on that first. By Sunday of next week, our intention will completely flip to the national tournament.”

The opening portion of the postseason will be played right here in Bozeman, and while there’s some exciting matchups set to take place, none loom larger than a potential MSU and Weber State contest. Weber State defeated the Cats three times over the course of the season, and they remain a significant threat on the road to nationals.

The playoffs will be on Friday and Saturday, Feb 10 and 11 at Haynes Pavillion. Come out to see the Cats take another step toward Bobcat hockey history.