Ohio stole two victories in the opening rounds of the American Collegiate Hockey Association National Championships, and it was the usual suspects leading the thievery.
The Bobcats opened the weekend with a 2-1 victory against tournament host No. 14 Robert Morris (Ill.) Saturday.
The Eagles were playing with a short bench, as has been the case since January.
They played the second half of the season with 14 (skaters)
so whether it was discipline or academics I don't know coach Dan Morris said. That's what they played against us at the (CSCHL) tournament.
Robert Morris tried to make its energy last the whole game by collapsing into the defensive zone instead of attacking aggressively.
They didn't want to forecheck
and we were fine with that
Morris said. We didn't waste much energy.
The Eagles' strategy kept them in the game. Eriks Ozollapa scored on a turnover to put Robert Morris ahead early in the second period.
Josh Fodor responded for the Bobcats to tie the game as Ryan Tessmer picked up the assist.
Fodor beat Eagles goalie Micah Robbins for a second time just seconds into the third period after a rare Robert Morris offense charge broke down. Tessmer fed a long pass to Fodor, who found the back of the net.
Last night Ohio unleashed five straight goals in the second period to overcome a two-goal deficit and defeat No. 11 Arizona State by a score of 5-3.
Sun Devils phenom Joe Schweiger opened the scoring with five minutes left in the first period, and Patrick Rogan extended the lead two minutes later.
The Bobcats took control early in the second period. Tyler Pilmore put Ohio on the board just two minutes in as the Sun Devils' Rod Stewart was coming out of the penalty box.
Nick Rostek and Michael Schultz scored back-to-back power-play goals to give Ohio a 3-2 lead.
Two minutes after the Rostek goal, Zach Tisdale found the back of the net on a 2-on-1. Billy Hemann and Jonathan Pietramala got the assists.
Schultz capped the onslaught with his second goal of the night. Steve Osacky and Pilmore got the helpers.
Schultz, Pilmore and Rostek combined for four goals and seven assists.
It was awesome
Morris said. Getting goals from those guys is key.
Schweiger tallied his second goal of the night to cut the lead to two, but that was as close as the Sun Devils got. The Bobcat defense prevented Arizona State from setting up in the offensive zone in the third period.
We had a lot of chances in the first period
but we made the most of our chances in the second period
Morris said. When the game settled in
we settled in and played lockdown.
The Bobcats have a practice day tomorrow and will face No. 5 Iowa State Tuesday night in the semifinals.
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