Ohio hit the road this weekend and split a two-game series with the hosting Delaware Blue Hens.
The Bobcats (9-2) took Friday's game 5-2 before being shut out 1-0 Saturday.
Ohio jumped out to an early lead Friday as Michael Schultz and Ryan Tessmer netted first-period goals.
The Blue Hens (5-1) cut the lead to 2-1 before the Bobcats put the puck in the net twice more in the second period. Tessmer picked up his second goal of the game, and Josh Fodor also scored. In the third period, Fodor tallied his second goal of the night to put the game out of reach.
Tyler Pilmore contributed two assists in the winning effort.
The Bobcats were able to get ahead and stay ahead by netting rebounds issued by the Delaware goaltender, said coach Dan Morris.
We scored a variety of different ways
he said. A lot of our goals were rebound goals or tipped shots.
Ohio was able to adjust throughout the game, something the Blue Hens failed to do, Morris said.
The Bobcats were also effective on the power play as they were successful twice on only four opportunities. Equally as strong was the Ohio penalty kill, which nullified eight of nine short-handed situations, including two of three on two-man disadvantages.
Instrumental to the Ohio penalty kill and overall performance was goaltender Paul Marshall.
He was great (and) made some big saves especially during the power play Morris said.
According to Morris, the Bobcats were able to utilize the large ice surface of Fred Rust Arena to their advantage.
It took us a while to adjust
he said. Once we figured it out we did really well.
Saturday, the Bobcats were held scoreless as a single goal by Delaware's Kevin Miller was enough to propel the Blue Hens to a 1-0 victory.
We had a few (scoring chances)
he said. They did a great job of packing in around their goal.
Morris said the Bobcats made the necessary adjustments to stay competitive and often outplayed the Blue Hens.
This weekend was also assistant coach Chris Carlson's first game as a part of the coaching staff. Morris was pleased with his efforts.
He did outstanding
he said. He managed the defense really well.
Morris added that goaltenders learn about the game from observing from the bench. For this reason, Carlson was easily able to make the transition from player to coach.
The Bobcats will return home this weekend to face the Canadian Selects Goderich Sailors.
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Michael Stainbrook
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