Blue Ridge Re-Signs Bruising D-Man, Adds Gritty Forward

by Brett Wiseman


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

6/12/2024

WYTHEVILLE, VA-

The Blue Ridge Bobcats today are proud and excited to announce that the club has re-signed Defenseman Matt Ernst for the 2024-2025 season.

Ernst, a 6'3" 200lb behemoth blue-liner made an immediate impact with his physical presence and puck-moving mindset after joining the Bobcats from the collegiate ranks in late February.

The Daytona Beach, FL native skated in 13 games for the Bobcats, registering his first professional point with an assist on March 15th vs the Carolina Thunderbirds. He followed five days later against those same Thunderbirds with his first professional goal on March 20th. Matt made sure his presence was felt too, accruing 8 penalty minutes in his 13 games.

Ernst missed the last two games of the regular season due to an upper-body injury, and is eager to return to the ice for what will be his first full professional season. The 25-year-old completed college earlier this month, graduating from NCAA DIII Lawrence University with a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Biology.


I’m very excited to be back in Wytheville," said Ernst. "The support from the community and the group of guys we have made it a no brainer to come back and push for a playoff spot this season."


We all are very excited to have Matthew resign with us for next season," said Bobcats head coach Vojtech Zemlicka. "He is a steady player for us and came a long way from first game playing for us to the end of the season." He brought toughness to our backend and that made a big impact on our D-core."

"Towards the end of the season we started seeing some offensive potential from Matt," added Zemlicka. "And when you add that to his consistent defensive game, that makes us even more excited to see what he can do for us this upcoming season."

The Bobcats are proud and excited to announce a new addition as well. The club today has inked rookie forward Cameron Lindsay to a PTO.

Lindsay, like Ernst, is an NCAA DIII product, himself hailing from Framingham State University. The 25-year-old Commerce, MI native compiled a highly competitive junior career, spending three seasons in the EHL (Eastern Hockey League) with the New Jersey 87s and Philadelphia Little Flyers. Lindsay racked up 59 points (27 goals, 32 assists) in 95 EHL contests (including playoffs).

He then moved on to Framingham State, where he notched 18 points (10 goals, 8 assists) in 68 collegiate games with the Rams.

“Cameron comes from a very respectable NCAA Division 3 school and played under a very reputable coach," said Bobcats Executive VP of Operations Jimmy Milliken. "We expect Cameron to come in and highly compete for a spot on the Bobcats roster. With his size and grittiness, he could be one to watch out for in training camp.”

The grittiness Milliken spoke of shined through for the 6'1" 181lb forward throughout his junior and collegiate careers. Lindsay accrued 65 penalty minutes in those 95 career EHL games, and accumulated 57 penalty minutes in his 68 collegiate contests with the Rams.

I would like to thank the Blue Ridge Bobcats and coach Vojtech on giving me the opportunity to continue playing and starting the next chapter in my career," said Lindsay. "I am very excited. After talking to coach Vojtech, I felt like I would fit in and be welcomed along with having the opportunity to develop and continue my growth in hockey. I can’t wait for the upcoming season and to help the Bobcats win."

You can follow all the Bobcats moves via the "Aschenbach Automotive Group Transaction Tracker", which is available to subscribers of "The Claw", the Bobcats weekly email newsletter. To sign up for "The Claw", visit http://eepurl.com/iCtxCo

Season ticket packages are on-sale for the Bobcats forthcoming second season, and payment plans are available. Existing season ticket holders can now begin selecting their seats from the new 3,500 capacity before construction is completed in September. Season ticket holders enjoy exclusive perks and priority seat selection. Call 276-335-2100 or visit blueridgebobcats.com/tickets for more information.

For more information on the Blue Ridge Bobcats please visit www.blueridgebobcats.com or follow us on on Facebook (Blue Ridge Bobcats Pro Hockey), as well as Instagram and X (BRBobcatsHKY) and visit our YouTube channel (Blue Ridge Bobcats TV).