After a solid 4-1 victory in its first American Collegiate Hockey Association tournament game, the Ohio hockey team is beaming with confidence going into its second game against Weber State today.
Not only does No. 2 Ohio (29-7-2) have the distinct advantage of taking Thursday off in between games, but No. 7 Weber State had to play yesterday against Arizona State.
That's one of the most important things about being ranked in the top four
coach Dan Morris said. We get that day off when the lower seeds have to go out and work.
With Thursday off, the team was not only able to rest, but also the Bobcats could watch Weber State play Thursday.
That gets our mindsets where we want them to be Morris said. We see who their better players are and that puts away any worry we have about seeing them for the first time.
Defenseman Nick Bilanow said though the team is flying high going into today's game, on a 20-game unbeaten streak, the Bobcats would be cautious not to overlook their opponent.
We go into every game with the mentality that we are going to win
Bilanow said. But we can't lose our focus because if you lose one of the early tournament games
you really shoot yourself in the foot.
While a loss in today's game would not mean the end of the tournament for the Bobcats, it would affect the re-seeding that will be done prior to the semi-finals on Saturday.
With a victory, Ohio should stay at the No. 2 spot going into the semi-finals, which would mean a game against the No. 3 team (currently Rhode Island). If the Bobcats lost, they would probably still find themselves in the semis, but it would be at the third or fourth seed, which could mean a precocious meeting with No.1 Penn State.
(The seeding) is why you can never take any team lightly
defenseman Brad Krolak said. You never know what to expect when you get into tournament time
and we just try to go out and do our jobs so we can be at the top.
Going into today's match-up Morris said the team must focus on Weber State's more offensive style of game, and take advantage of opportunities.
Weber plays a very offensive
risky style of game
Morris said. That's nice for them
but it really leaves them more vulnerable to big mistakes. They don't have much patience
and that makes them take a few chances that we can really capitalize on.
Ohio will play No. 7 Weber State at 5 p.m. today in Ames, Iowa. If the Bobcats win they will play at 5 p.m. Saturday against the No. 3 seed. If they win that game they will play in the ACHA championship game at 3 p.m. Sunday. If they lose Saturday they will play in the consolation game at noon Sunday.
