BISMARCK (KXNET) – The Bismarck Bobcats are off to a rollercoaster start to the season, sitting at .500 and tied in their goal differential.

However, the mix of veteran players along with young talent has the coaching staff optimistic. The Bobcats feel that this roster can go a long way toward busting through the playoff drought over the last few years.

“I think the big thing for us to have a good start is that you want your veterans to lead the way early on,” says head coach Layne Sedevie. “I think that’s something that we’ve been lacking. We were very young last year. This year, we’re still somewhat young but when you have a good young core of 10 to 12 guys, you want to lean on those guys early in the season, allow those guys to really develop into the roles and that’s where I feel that you see the makeup of your hockey team probably around Thanksgiving, Christmas time.”