When Ohio steps on the ice at LaHaye Ice Center on Friday against Liberty, it'll skate under a familiar atmosphere compared to that of its home rink in Bird Arena.
But the atmosphere, which the Bobcats will experience as an enemy, is the only thing that LaHaye shares with the 60-year-old Bird Arena. LaHaye seats about 3,000 people and boasts a four-sided video board above center-ice. The screens are capable of replays and other features, according to the school website.
The arena is much larger than Ohio's home digs in Bird Arena, which sits just under 1,000 spectators. While the Bobcats will miss their home rink, they always look forward to playing in the exuberant venue in Lynchburg, Virginia.
"Oh it's awesome — It's pro," coach Sean Hogan said of Liberty's home rink. "It's not only one of the best rinks in the ACHA, it's one of the best in all of college hockey. It's a phenomenal place, man. A lot of fun."
Ohio has a steady run of success in LaHaye since it opened in 2006. The Bobcats are 7-1 since playing at the arena for the first time in 2012 and haven't lost in the building since a narrow 4-3 defeat in the second game of the series that same season.
But the arena, which opened in 2006, didn't receive its true professional touch until renovations were completed in 2015. The redesign included the installation of its video board and doubling the arena's previous capacity.
Before the renovations, the arena had seating that was elevated above the visiting team's bench. Senior Jake Faiella was one of the few current Bobcats to have played in the rink before its renovations and had some interesting memories of the old design.
With fans literally standing right on top of the visiting team's bench, players would often get hit with items from the home crowd.
Faiella, however, didn't mind it.
"They'll throw cups, little things," he said with a laugh. "Nothing too bad. Nothing like the junior days. I loved it."
While the arena's new design makes it a bit harder for Liberty fans to target their enemies with objects, they still find a way to obstruct visiting teams' bench routines. Fans sometimes attempt to knock over the away side's line of additional sticks that are set up on the glass behind the bench.
But Faiella still doesn't care.
"I love this," he said. "I love going into towns and being the bad guy. That's just how my career's been. I like when people hate me. It's alright."
The hectic atmosphere of LaHaye often translates to similar chaos on the ice. Liberty is one of the more physical opponents Ohio frequently has on its schedule, and the teams' recent history has often included intensified games.
The Bobcats have gone 8-0 against Liberty in the past four seasons, but both sides consider meetups as rivalry weekends.
"They're not really in our league or anything like that, but every time we play these guys, it's usually a good game," Faiella said. "Guys are always hitting. I think it became a rivalry just because we're two tough teams. We both have the same playing style."
This weekend, however, Ohio will need to avoid some of the consequences that can come with such opponents. The Bobcats have an injury-riddled roster, and with 16 players (not including goalies), can't afford to lose anyone for penalties, or worse — more injuries.
Hogan will be sure to enforce that message to his players for this weekend. Since his team has had the upper-hand in recent years, he's expecting another not-so-friendly atmosphere in Lynchburg this weekend.
"We got to make sure that we stay on track," he said. "For years here it was a big rivalry. I think we took a few big steps forward the last few years, but it's always been a big rivalry, that's for sure. I'm sure they have a healthy hatred for us."
