Five-and-a-half months, 10 road trips and 44 games since the season began, the Bobcats prepare for their final stand of the 2009-2010 campaign.
No. 3 Ohio (32-9-3, 17-2-2 Central States Collegiate Hockey League) will play in the American Collegiate Hockey Association National Championships beginning tomorrow night in Bensenville, Ill. The tournament features 16 teams and lasts through Wednesday.
The Bobcats will face No. 14 Robert Morris (Ill.) in the first round. Ohio beat the Eagles in their first three meetings, winning each by at least three goals. Robert Morris, however, is the tournament's host team and will be playing in front of its home crowd.
You want to play the host team because it's definitely more exciting than playing the 10 a.m. slot with the custodial staff mopping up the floor from the night before
coach Dan Morris said.
You want to play in the best environment.
If the Bobcats beat the Eagles, they will face either No. 6 Liberty or No. 11 Arizona State Sunday night in the second round. Ohio hasn't played either team in the last four seasons.
I think a game like that is going to come down to goaltending and chances off turnovers Morris said. If one team can be more opportunistic than the other then I think that will be your successful team.
Eastern Michigan transfer Joe Schweiger plays for the Sun Devils, as does Ohio native Tim Hurst, who played with Ohio defenseman David Sundstrom for the Toledo Cherokee. Meanwhile, Liberty has 16 Canadians on its roster and no transfers from CSCHL schools.
After the first two rounds, the teams are reseeded with the highest remaining seed playing the lowest remaining seed. This means the Bobcats would not face No. 1 Lindenwood until the final.
You break the tournament down into small tournaments
Morris said. Robert Morris
Liberty
Arizona State and us are in a small tournament. If you win that tournament
you get to go on to the next one.
Ohio is also guaranteed to play all of its games on the same rink. The Edge Ice Arena has two rinks, and both will be used to play the 19 tournament games, but top-four teams play every game on the west rink.
You've worked hard for your ranking all year
and you get the benefit of being in the showcase rink
Morris said.
Goaltender Paul Marshall, forward John Luciana and defensemen Jeremy Browning and Steve Osacky are from northeast Illinois. Morris said the team has a large alumni base in the area, as well.
They're excited that we're coming
so all-in-all we'll have a pretty good support system there
he said. I know guys like Paul
