Where can you go, when the world don't treat you right? For Ohio, the answer was home.
The Bobcats were in their own seventh heaven Friday night, easily taking a homecoming weekend win by beating an overmatched Pittsburgh team 7-1 at Bird Arena. The game was nearly a complete 180 for an Ohio team that had lost its previous game 6-1 last Sunday against Delaware.
“We showed times where we could play well and we showed some times where we got a little distracted,” head coach Dan Morris said of the win. “There’s always things you can work on.”
As he has for most the first part of the season, Michael Schultz got Ohio (6-1-0) going early.
The captain recorded his team-leading eighth goal of the year on a superb individual effort down the right side of the ice that he capped off with a bank-handed shot past Pitt goalie Rob Behling. Jon Pietramala made it 2-0 a few minutes later, scoring on a rebound from point-blank range.
The Panthers, making their first trip to Bird Arena with a roster packed with underclassmen, were a little overwhelmed from the outset, Morris said.
“Them coming in for the first time, I think they were a little bit intimidated,” he said. "But they battled, they kept playing hard.”
The Bobcats then put the game away with three goals in the initial 3:39 of the second, a period in which they nearly scored as many goals (three) as Pitt had shots on goal (four).
Ohio peppered the Pitt net all game, putting 59 shots on Behling, who made several nice saves with his glove to keep the score reasonable.
On the other side of the rink, Brendan Madden had to make just 15 saves to notch the first win of his collegiate career, letting in Pittsburgh’s only goal from Ben Tronolone midway through the third.
The freshman, who was pulled after a shaky opening in his first start against West Virginia, said he felt much more comfortable in his second time between Ohio’s pipes.
"The first game I came in kind of nervous, I got the jitters a little bit,” Madden said. “This game I just came in with a lot more confidence, I’d gotten my feet wet a little already and I was ready for it. I wanted to play, I wanted to start and we ended up getting the win.”
Morris, who likely will need Madden to play his fair share of games in the backup role behind starter Teddy Dushkin, said he was impressed with his young goaltender’s poise.
“I think he did a great job keeping in control of the situation. It will give him a little something to build on here,” Morris said.
cd211209@ohiou.edu
QUICK STATS
Friday
OHIO 7 Pitt 1
— Ohio goals: Schultz (2), Pietramala, Whetsel, Kretz, Fodor, Agnew
