Entering this weekend's games against Penn State, the Ohio hockey team will find itself in an unfamiliar position. The Bobcats, ranked fourth in the AHCA, face off against the third-ranked Icers tonight and tomorrow as the underdog in a series for the first time this season.
Ohio coach Dan Morris said that the Bobcats look to exploit their role as underdogs.
Hopefully our players go in with a chip on their shoulder
he said. Our guys believe that they are the better team but they have to prove to others that they are.
Left wing Clay LaBrosse echoed Morris' sentiments and said that this series could figure prominently in the postseason tournament.
You want to get that top spot going into nationals he said. If we can sweep them this weekend we will hopefully move up a few spots (in the rankings).
Sweeping the Icers has not been an easy task for the Bobcats, who won three of four games against them a year ago. All four games were decided by two goals or less.
They brought back a lot of their offensive players from last year
he said. They recruit hard
they are well-coached and they play hard.
With the game at Penn State, the Bobcats will face a hostile crowd for the first time since their season-opening series at West Virginia. The Bobcats dropped the first game in the unfriendly atmosphere in Morgantown, W. Va., and have yet to lose since.
It's fun to play on the road when there are a lot of fans cheering against you
left wing Brandon Hanley said. People cheering against you get me more pumped up than in normal games.
LaBrosse added that playing in front of unruly fans gives the Bobcats incentive to play harder. It's makes it fun to beat them in their own game
he said. When they come here
we do it to them
so it goes both ways.
However, the Bobcats may be able to use their depth to their advantage once again, with a short rest between tonight's 9 p.m. game and tomorrow's at 3 p.m.
Morris said he believes the team plays better with a short turnaround between games, and noted that it will take strong goaltending to win the series.
The team that has the best performances in goalie is probably going to win
he said. That's probably the number-one key.
