AMES, Iowa - After a pair of losses in mid-November, the Ohio hockey team probably could not imagine it would not lose another game the entire season. But by topping the defending American Collegiate Hockey Association champion Penn State Icers, 5-4, yesterday, the Bobcats (32-7-2) won their first national championship since 1996.
Great authors could try and fail to write a better script, as Ohio, which started off the season 4-5, worked its way to No. 2 in the tournament rankings and triumphed in a rematch of last year's championship game.
With the agony of last year's loss to the Icers in mind, Ohio coach Dan Morris said the team played the whole tournament hoping for a rematch.
You couldn't ask for a better game than this
Morris said. It was the two best teams playing and when we got this far we wanted to play against the champions. You don't want questions about who you played along the way.
Through the first period of the championship game, Ohio may have been questioning whether it really was the best team, as Penn State leapt out to a 2-0 lead, but Ohio pulled away to a 4-2 lead within the first nine minutes of the third period. Penn State tied the game back up before forward Tony Arkeilpane put in the game winner with three minutes left.
That was an almost nervous feeling Arkeilpane said. I was so happy
but we had the lead earlier
and we lost it. At that point I was just thinking defense
defense
defense. I just wanted us to finish it off.
With Arkeilpane's game winner in the net, the celebration began.
It's just a feeling of pure joy
center Frank Kubas said. We worked so hard all season
and it's just a feeling of pure satisfaction. In the last game of my career
I can go out knowing that we did all that we could have done.
Indeed the Bobcats did everything they could do with their season, reaching all three goals they set following last year's loss to Penn State. They won the outright Central States Collegiate Hockey League title, the CSCHL Tournament and the national championship.
Along the way, Gallagher picked up the CSCHL MVP, defenseman Nick Bilanow picked up the CSCHL Tournament MVP and Kubas picked up the ACHA Tournament MVP. Kubas was joined by goaltender Brian Gallagher, forward Mike Barger and defensemen Travis Preble and Joe Branco on the all-tournament team.
Brian Gallagher could only sum up the season's accomplishments in a few simple words.
Today is the best day of my life
he said. My whole life I've worked at this and played hockey for this moment.
The road to the game was not exactly an easy one for Ohio. After winning its opening game against Arizona State 4-1, the Bobcats struggled to a 2-1 double overtime win against No. 7 Weber State. Ohio faced No. 3 Rhode Island on Saturday. The quick glove of Gallagher, who had 21 saves, led Ohio to a 2-0 shutout win.
Gallagher said that the championship belonged to everyone who had supported the team throughout the season.
This championship belongs to every Ohio student
