After a week-long hiatus, Ohio will return to the ice for the first time since Nov. 18 on Friday and Saturday against Robert Morris (Illinois) at 7:30 p.m. at Bird Arena.
The Bobcats, who took the Thanksgiving week off from practice and enjoyed their first weekend with no hockey since late September, will look to pick up where they left off prior to the break. No. 4 Ohio is 5-1 in its last six games and swept No. 3 Lindenwood to enter the break with more momentum than the Bobcats have had all season.
The Thanksgiving break was the longest break Ohio had this season. After a full week of practice, the Bobcats are hoping to avoid showing rust in their first game Friday.
"That's something we figure out in practice, but practice and games are two totally different things," assistant captain Mike Palasics said. "I think maybe this weekend, this Friday, it might take a few minutes into the first period just to, you know, get the game speed back, get your legs back. After that, we'll be fine."
Forwards at full strength
Ohio will possess its first full strength team since Oct. 20, and no one is happier than the Bobcats' forwards.
Of the five players to miss games over that span, three of them were forwards. Tyler Harkins, Garrett Elmore and Matt Rudin all missed at least one game due to injury. The Bobcats haven't had a full roster of forwards in their last 10 games.
The shortage forced Ohio to used jumbled lines in each game. Each forward spent time rotating through different combinations with other forwards at some point throughout the 10 games.
With everyone healthy, the Bobcats (14-3-1) will finally have four full forward lines against No. 5 Robert Morris (13-4-0).
"It makes a big difference," Palasics, a forward, said. "Like we did the past month and a half, you feel like you get off the ice, and then a short time later, (coach Sean Hogan) says you're going back out. With four lines now, you're going to have a chance to catch your breath. I feel like we're going to have a lot more energy going into the third period. Not that we didn't before, but I feel like we're just going to have a ton more this weekend going into the game."
The four full lines will also impact Ohio's power play, which has operated at a Central States Collegiate Hockey League-worst 16 percent.
Through eight of their last 10 games, the Bobcats were without Rudin, who played on the first power-play line, as he nursed a broken clavicle. The junior made a loud return, however, in his first weekend back against Lindenwood on Nov. 17-18 — Rudin tallied four points and notched an assist on Ohio's lone power-play goal that weekend.
It's a small sample size, but all of Rudin's points came from his net-front presence, which will be crucial toward the Bobcats improving their power play.
"Oh it's awesome," Gianni Evangelisti, who also plays on Ohio's first power-play line, said. "Rudy is great in front. (He has a) good active stick. He takes the goalies eyes away, so he's great for the power play."
With all 12 forwards healthy, all of Ohio's core power-play players should be able to build its chemistry and find more frequent success.
Teddy Bear Toss
For Saturday's game, the fans at Bird Arena will get to take part in one of the most unique traditions in hockey.
Ohio is hosting Teddy Bear Toss night. Fans are encouraged to bring stuffed toys that will be thrown onto the ice after the Bobcats score their first goal. The toys will be donated to local charities, according to the team.
Hogan, a fourth-year coach, brought the tradition to Ohio in his first year with the Bobcats.
"It's a fun thing," he said. "We try to be as charitable as we can. ... We try to be as involved into our community as we can be, and I think around the holidays, it's a fun thing to do. It's an easy thing to do for us, too."
