What a difference a night makes.
After giving up four goals to Ohio (3-2-1) Friday, Oakland goaltender Alex Pikunas turned away 31 of 32 shots, including a flurry in the final minutes, to propel his team to a 2-1 victory Saturday.
We threw everything at him
Ohio head coach Dan Morris said. They had the lead and they put it on his shoulders to win it and he did.
Morris started freshman goaltender Teddy Dushkin to give the goalie an opportunity to get some experience against an American Collegiate Hockey Association opponent.
I thought he played very well for it being his first game in the ACHA defensman Mark Tracy said. I think that's huge.
Both teams spent the first period feeling each other out. The play was choppy, with neither team establishing any sustained offensive pressure.
Oakland (4-3-1) did not need much time to jump out to the lead in the second period, however. Jesse Worrell beat Dushkin a minute and 11 seconds in to give the Grizzlies a 1-0 lead.
About midway through the period, Ohio winger Billy Hemann and Oakland defenseman Dennis Capa got into an altercation and the pair was sent to the box for unsportsmanlike conduct. Less than 30 seconds later, Ohio defenseman Zack Barbis took a crosschecking penalty to give Oakland a four-on-three power play.
The Grizzlies made the most of the opportunity. Kevin Kranker threaded a pass to Jordan MacDonald, who was wide-open in front of the net. MacDonald snuck the puck past Dushkin, giving Oakland a two-goal lead going into the third.
But the Bobcats came out with a renewed intensity in the third period. Oakland winger Steve Vandenberghe took a holding penalty at the 10:41 mark to give Ohio its fifth power play. Barbis got the opportunity to redeem himself on the man-advantage and put the Bobcats on the board with a heavy one-timer from high in the slot.
But that would be the only time Pikunas was beat,
Our goal scorers didn't have the puck luck to get the job done Tracy said.
Morris said the team did not come to the rink with the right mentality and it showed on the ice.
We didn't carry over any success we had from shift-to-shift
Morris said. It was just inconsistent all night. It was disappointing.
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Sports
Bart Logan
