Ohio's first two road-trip venues of the season contained unique characteristics that worked against the Bobcats — an Olympic-sized rink at Navy and a vibrant, yet professional arena at Liberty provided a different feel of the game for Ohio.
Ohio's third road trip of the season on Friday and Saturday at the University of Illinois Ice Center in Champaign, Illinois, will amplify both of those components.
The rink is nicknamed the "Big Pond" for good reason. It's the biggest sheet of ice available for ice hockey in the US, according to coach Sean Hogan.
"It's a huge factor," he said of how much the large ice surface impacts Ohio. "(Line) changes are a factor in terms of how much space you have to cover. (Defensive)-zone positioning is a factor. It's so wide. If we don't have the puck, we're inside the (face-off) dots."
The rink was built in 1931, seats 1,200 people and contains ice dimensions of 192 feet by 115 feet, according to the arena's website. With Ohio and Illinois both playing in the Central States Collegiate Hockey League division, the Bobcats usually play visitors to the Fighting Illini once a season.
The length of the ice is larger than Bird Arena by only two feet, but the difference in width is much more substantial: Bird Arena's ice has a width of 85 feet and pales in comparison to the additional 30 feet inside Illinois' home rink.
The massive width takes its biggest toll on visiting teams' right-wingers, who have to skate the distance twice each shift for two periods per game in order to get into position. By the time the wingers actually get to their spot, a sizable amount of energy has already been expunged.
Right-winger Mike Palasics wasn't thrilled about remembering the challenge this weekend.
"Just as being a right-winger right now, knowing I'm going to have to go through two periods of that, just haul to the other side then haul all the way back to the bench, it'll pay off at the end," he said with a sigh. "It'll wear you out."
The price isn't as bad as it could be for Ohio, however, who constantly work on conditioning in practice. The Bobcats' thin roster this season has given players even more practice reps, and it's rinks like this where they can show it off.
The extra stamina may not be visible until later in the game, however, as it usually takes a little time for the Bobcats to adjust to the new dimensions.
How long does it take for the team to adjust? Well, it depends on who you ask.
"I think we skate better than they do, and I think we're faster than they are, but we don't play on that ice a lot," Hogan said. "It takes at least a game to figure it out."
The players, however, voiced a smaller range of time.
"I'd say probably about a period," Palasics said. "It's just so much bigger, man."
Defenseman and team captain Jake Faiella won't be playing for Ohio this weekend due to a shoulder injury, but as one of the team's three seniors, he's a bit more familiar to adjusting to the rink's size.
"It takes at least a couple minutes in the first period, maybe even the first period, honestly," he said. "Compared to our ice ... it is absolutely huge. You're a defenseman taking a shot at the point, and it feels like you're shooting from the red line."
The big ice is only half the battle for Ohio. When players get back to the bench, they're often greeted by the always-talkative Illinois faithful who sit directly above the bench. The fans are usually students who took the time to research players' backgrounds and let the players know what they think of some of their non-hockey characteristics.
The Bobcats frequently deal with such experiences when playing as visitors, but the spot at which Illinois' fans can talk from makes it a little harder to tune out.
"It's crazy," Faiella said. "They have great fans honestly, and the entire game, they are talking to you. They are trying to get in your head. I'm not even sure they watch the game. They're just going after us."
The chaotic environment on the bench and the expanded ice sheet are just a few of the ingredients that have created a rivalry between the two sides.
Ohio has gone 5-3 against Illinois over the last three seasons, but the two sides have split three of the four previous series.
For Palasics, the rivalry is one of the larger variety.
"Just because of the experiences I've had with them," he said. "There's always some yapping going on between us and them.
"Playing in that atmosphere, ... it gets you hyped up a little bit."
