After a 2003-2004 season during which they won the American Collegiate Hockey Association national championship, expectations are high for the Ohio hockey team as North Dakota State travels to play the Bobcats this weekend.
I think we keep our expectations pretty much the same every year
coach Dan Morris said. We come in expecting to be the national champions. That's what we strive for every day and it's a realistic expectation.
But high expectations alone don't win games, and the team is still filling holes left by graduating players, particularly last year's ACHA Player of the Year, goalie Brian Gallagher.
Heading into this weekend, Morris said that the competition for the goalie spot is still open, with returning goalies Ryan Baksh and Derek DeFelice fighting for the spot. Brian Bakowski is also in the mix after sitting out last season as a redshirt.
Right now we're just giving both those guys (Baksh and DeFelice) a chance to get in the game Morris said. We're lucky to be so deep at that position and we just have a battle going right now.
Last year, Baksh and DeFelice got thrown into the fire early when Gallagher broke a finger on his glove hand. As the team went on its championship run, though, they played less.
The switch at goalie isn't the only big change for the Bobcats as they lost several defensive players, including Nick Bilanow, who was named to the ACHA All-American third team last year.
I think our defensive identity has changed
Morris said. We lost great players. We were dominant defensively last year down the stretch
and I think that's something that this team will have to learn how to do.
While the defense takes on a new identity the team has less to worry about offensively, as it returns several strong players, including Kurt Miller and Robbie Farmer.
Morris said that the big thing about this weekend is getting the system straight. Last year, the Bobcats started off slow, dropping their first three games before taking off on a winter run. Morris said that while he doesn't want to start slow again, he expects the system to take time with some of the younger guys.
We run a pro system here
Morris said. It can be tough because we feed them the system so fast it's hard to digest it all. There will be some mistakes early on
but this team is handling the system well.
Ohio takes on North Dakota State 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday at Bird Arena.
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Mike Cottrill
