Brenk, Blizzard beat Bismarck, 4-3

Brookings Blizzard forward Evan Hesse (13) eyes the Bismarck defense as he looks for an open teammate in the first period of Brookings' 4-3 North American Hockey League win over the Bobcats on Friday night at Larson Ice Center. Hesse finished with two assists. Photo by Sean Welsh/Register

BROOKINGS – Eric Brenk scored two goals in the third period to lift the Brookings Blizzard past the Bismarck Bobcats, 4-3, in a North American Hockey League Central Division matchup on Friday night at Larson Ice Center.

Brenk scored a power-play goal with 9:57 remaining and added the game-winner with 33 seconds to go.

Brandon Anderson opened the scoring at the 17:37 mark of the first quarter but Bismarck answered with goals by Bob Kinne and Adam Knochenmus in a 20-second span to take a 2-1 lead with 13:37 left.

Brookings’ Justin Moody tied the score at 2-all with a power-play goal in the second, before Bismarck’s Shane Omdahl answered less than a minute later to put the Bobcats back on top – 3-2 – with 10:02 remaining in the second.

Goalie Drew Weigman made 33 saves to earn the win. Jordan Stejskal and Evan Hesse both had two assists; and Moody, Ruslan Manserov, Drew Brevig and Jeff Flicker added one apiece.