FPHL 
OFFICIAL SITE OF THE
BLUE RIDGE BOBCATS
Southwest Virginia's Pro "A" Hockey Team
Bobcats Down Zydeco 5-2 For First Ever Playoff Win, Advance to Continental Quarterfinals
WYTHEVILLE, VA
The Blue Ridge Bobcats picked up their first-ever postseason win in their playoff debut, a 5-2 triumph over the Baton Rouge Zydeco in the Continental Division Wild Card Play-In Game before a crowd of nearly 1,500 at Hitachi Energy Arena.
The Bobcats struck first 3:32 in, when Mike Mercurio plucked a rebound from under the pad of Sammy Bernard and stuffed it into the net for the first postseason goal in Bobcats history.
Blue Ridge held the Zydeco shotless for the first 6 minutes of the contest, but Baton Rouge began to surge after the halfway mark of the opening frame. Jake Cox picked the pocket of a Bobcat behind the net and quickly wrapped the puck in short side past Connor Green to tie the game exactly 10:30 into the first period.
The Zydeco controlled the pace for the remainder of the first and entirety of the second, with Jake Cox netting the only marker of the middle frame less than 5 minutes into it.
The Bobcats answered with a resounding response in the third to save their season and schedule a quarterfinal date with the archrival Carolina Thunderbirds. Denis Radchenko began the third period onslaught and tied the game at 2 when he one timed a shot home just over 8 and a half minutes into the third. Less than three minutes later, Daniel Klinecky blasted home a one-timer on the power play for what served as the game-winning goal and sent the crowd in Roar County into a frenzy.
Carson Andreoli and Danny Martin ensured the lead would hold, each tacking on an empty net goal to seal the deal. Green earned third star in net, making 26 saves on 28 shots faced. Denis Radchenko's multi-point night netted him second star, and Mercurio's two goal effort granted him first star.
The Bobcats will now host the Carolina Thunderbirds in the Continental Division Quarterfinals, a best-of-three series to begin Friday night at Hitachi Energy Arena. Tickets for Game 1 will go on sale tomorrow morning at 11am at blueridgebobcats.com/tickets.