ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Ohio came out victorious in its pair of weekend games on the road against Navy, but the Bobcats had to overcome more than just their opponent to improve their record to 4-0.
McMullen Arena’s ice size, puck bounces and board complexities served as an opponent of its own to Ohio.
“Man, that was a sloppy hockey game,” coach Sean Hogan said after Ohio’s 6-2 win Friday. The Bobcats were tied with Navy after two periods, despite outshooting the Midshipmen 36-13.
It took Ohio some time to adjust to its new surroundings. Navy’s home ice is Olympic-sized and is therefore 15 feet wider and 10 feet longer than what the Bobcats are used to.
But the Bobcats were able to solve the rink’s size puzzle in the third period, as they broke out for four goals to seal the win.
“That was a big adjustment for us,” Hogan said of the additional ice space following Friday’s win. “There’s a lot of room out there. It hurt us not on the offensive end, but the defensive end. We were just hurting on the defensive end.”
Ohio adjustments to the larger ice paid off, as the Bobcats turned it into an advantage in Saturday’s 4-1 win. Sophomore Garrett Elmore netted Ohio’s third goal of the game, using the wider space to move the puck and offset Navy’s defense.
Sophomore Jake Houston found Elmore alone on the opposite end of the ice as the Navy defense moved over to Houston’s end after a flurry of passes from the Bobcats.
With the additional time and space, Elmore fired a wrist shot past Navy’s goaltender to give his team an insurance goal and extend Ohio’s lead to 3-1.
“They all just come to one area,” Elmore said about the play. “We just find the open ice. There’s so much ice to find that it’s easy to get around and get open.”
The expanded ice sheet wasn’t the only aspect of the rink that Ohio had to acclimate to. The ice itself provided a special wrinkle the Bobcats struggled to grasp.
For the Bobcats, the ice seemed to be just a bit bouncier than they’re used to at Bird Arena. Passes and shot attempts were frequently foiled due to a bouncing puck that rolled up and over Ohio’s sticks.
Perhaps the most evident — and frustrating — moment created by the odd ice came in the second period Saturday. A rebound from Navy’s goalie went straight to the stick of junior Cody Black — except that the puck bounced around Black’s stick, and the brief window the Bobcats had to capitalize fell through.
“Mike (Palasics) worked hard getting the shot on net,” Black said. “(The puck) bounced everywhere, but (I've) got to be a little bit stronger on my stick and bury that puck home.”
In addition to the bouncy playing surface, the boards surrounding the ice’s perimeter added to the unfriendly environment. The boards also seemed to fool Ohio and were just another twist from the confines of Bird Arena.
The most dangerous aspect of the peculiar surroundings was when Navy would shoot the puck wide of goalie Jimmy Thomas.
“We’re not used to whenever the (defense) would shoot the puck, if they miss the net, the puck bounces right back out,” Black said. “We had to adjust to that. At the Bird, the puck just stops right along the boards so we know to usually just go there. ... The puck was bouncing everywhere, so you got to make that adjustment to where it’s going to bounce to rather than just sitting still.”
Ohio’s adjustments to the unfamiliar surroundings payed off, as the Bobcats kept their perfect record intact.
The Bobcats won’t have to worry about anymore odd adjustments for a while, as they will enjoy the next six games at Bird Arena. Ohio will be back in action next weekend as it hosts a pair of games against Jamestown.
