The New York Bobcats get set for the Eastern Hockey League’s 2014-15 playoffs this weekend, and will play host to the expansion East Coast Wizards in the First Round of a best-of-three series.

The Bobcats finished the season, and first at their new home the Twin Rinks at Eisenhower Park, with a record of 26-16-1-1, good enough for a third place finish in the EHL Central Division. Their 54 points earned them the no.7 seed, out of the field of 16.

East Coast, which enjoyed a respectable first year as a member of the EHL, went 21-20-2-1 under head coach, and former NHLer, Freddy Meyer.  The Wizards finished in second-place (45 points) in the EHL Boston Division and were rewarded with the no.10 seed.

New York is led offensively by assistant captain and second-year forward, Corey Kennedy, who had 45 points in 43 games played for the Bobcats. His 33 assists on the season lead the club.  Lucas Brown (38 points), David Kleyman (35 points) and Carlos Ross (37 points) all played well down the stretch for the Bobcats, while newcomers Ian Harris (27 points), Tyler Peters (27 points) and Brett Johnson (21 points) chipped in on the score sheet as well. Look for the entire Bobcats offense to keep up the fast pace, after the club scored 12 goals in their finals two games.

Defensively, Captain Shawn Geary will anchor the blueline, however is without mainstay Joey Maguire, who was acquired by the USHL’s Bloomington Thunder earlier in the month. Rookie, and Plattsburgh State commit, Charles Barber, and first-year Bobcat Vinny DaBrowa, have flourished as of late in Maguire’s absence, along with fellow defenseman Randy Wolf, Jack Shine, and Jake Behse.

In net, the Bobcats have been lead all season long by Brandon Rathwell and Jordan Severo.  Rathwell put together a solid rookie campaign winning 15 games, posting three shutouts along with a 2.75 goals-against average and holding a 91.9 saves percentage. Severo also was strong for New York, recording 11 wins with a 90.8 saves percentage.

The Wizards are led by defenseman Ricky Kramer, whose 31 points were most among the club. Up front, CJ Grinnel, Glen Wiswell, and Ben Mello put forth a strong showing as all three had 25-plus points.

In between the pipes, Chris Johnson put up solid numbers with a 13-7-1-0 record with one shutout, 2.32 goals-against average and 92.8 saves percentage.

Last year, the Bobcats faced two Boston opponents in the post season, getting past the Boston Jr. Rangers 2-games-1 in the First Round, before being swept by the Boston Bandits in the Quarterfinals round.

Due to the EHL playoff procedure, the highest seed is the home team for all three games unless venues are fewer than 125 miles apart.  With that, the Bobcats will be home at the Twin Rinks for all three games versus the Wizards in the first round.

Game One: Sat, Feb 28 - 3:15 PM

Game Two: Sun, March 1 - 1:45 PM

Game Three (if necessary): Mon, March 2- 2:15 PM

All action can be viewed live via FastHockey.com and for more information about the upcoming playoffs head to easetrnhockeyleague.org or nybobcats.com, today!