The Bobcats were their own worst enemy this weekend against the Golden Flashes.
The stellar play of Kent State goaltender Ryan Gregory didn't help, but Ohio's biggest mistakes seemed to come at the worst times.
The Golden Flashes escaped Bird Arena with 4-3 and 3-2 victories and guaranteed themselves a first-round date with Ohio in the playoffs next weekend.
The turning point on Friday came in the second period.
Nursing a 2-1 lead, the Bobcats fumbled numerous scoring chances and let Kent State back into the game.
With 2:38 left in the period, Ohio forward Brett Molnar went back to retrieve a puck left by goalie Chris Carlson. The puck rolled off his stick and into the goal to tie the game.
Our guys were doing just enough
Morris said. We never started hitting and didn't take advantage of the opportunities they gave us.
We were cruising along and they were working.
Kent State's Ryan Nawrocki appeared to score the dagger with 34 seconds left inciting an eruption on the visitors' bench.
But as they've done so often of late the Bobcats came back and tied the game with 14 seconds remaining. Phil Oberlin's backhand shot popped over Gregory in a bizarre sequence.
Morris
though
was more concerned with the response of his team after the goal.
The bench was absolutely dead, Morris said. That was tough.
In the shootout
Zack Barbis scored the only goal for the Bobcats. Kent State scored twice.
Ohio made no amends for it the following night.
Eddie Thomas scored a tap-in midway through a seven-minute power play to put his team ahead 2-0.
J.J. Plutt and Josh Fodor beat Gregory to even the score. Kent State got its biggest scare of the weekend minutes later.
Gregory was involved in an ugly collision with a couple of players
and suffered what appeared to be a knee injury. He did not return
and the Bobcats had more than 20 shots on backup Anthony Natoli.
Natoli kept his team alive late in the game. The Flashes drew a penalty in overtime after Mark Tracy was whistled for boarding. Kevin Colleran's shot through traffic beat Carlson with 1:34 left in the extra session for another Kent State win.
It was selfish things that cost us in the end, Morris said. Careless penalties and turnovers. We gave them their chances.
Marshall update
Ohio goaltender Paul Marshall backstopped Team USA to a 5-4 overtime win over Slovakia in the opening round of the World University Games in Harbin
China. Marshall's best stops came in a 13-round shootout for the Americans
who face Russia in the coming week.,",2,Sports,Rob Mixer,27213a.jpg,Right wing Ryan Tessmer heads toward the goal during the Ohio hockey game against Kent State Saturday. The Bobcats lost 3-2 in sudden death over time.
