As 2018 concluded, No. 4 Ohio finished the calendar year on a high note. It compiled a 12-3-3 record which included wins over nationally ranked opponents such as Liberty, Robert Morris-Illinois, Illinois and Davenport.
In 2019, the Bobcats will finish their Central States Collegiate Hockey League schedule sprinkled with a couple of non-league series. Along with those series, they will play their annual “ice ghosts” game in which alumni return to Bird Arena in a one-off game in which the proceeds go to charity.
Below is The Post’s breakdown of the remainder of Ohio’s schedule.
January
There’s no cupcake start to the new year for Ohio, as it begins the 2019 portion of its schedule on the road against No. 1 Lindenwood.
The Lions (16-0-0) swept the Bobcats in mid-November with a 4-3 overtime win and a 3-0 win. Lindenwood is led by Jake Townsend and Tommy Heinzman. The two each have 31 points thus far. In net for the Lions has been Cooper Seedott. With a 14-0 record, Seedott boasts a .947 save percentage paired with a 1.21 goals against average.
Ohio will play its first home series of 2019 the weekend of Jan. 18 when it hosts Pitt. The Panthers (8-8-1) come to Athens amid the Bobcats annual alumni weekend, in which players past and present celebrate the program.
In recent years, the series between Ohio and Pitt has been one plagued by penalties and ejections, but Ohio has won the last four games by a combined 31-5.
The Bobcats conclude their January portion on the road atRobert Morris-Illinois. The Eagles (7-12-2) and Bobcats last met in Nov. 2018, when the Bobcats swept the series a combined 7-1.
February
In place of Slippery Rock, who was Ohio’s original opponent for the start of February, Syracuse is now the headliner. The Orange (8-5-1) have their one impressive win against nationally ranked Liberty — who the Bobcats split the series with earlier in the season.
February concludes with two Central States Collegiate Hockey League series for Ohio as it travels to Illinois and hosts Iowa State. The Bobcats are a combined 2-2 against the aforementioned opponents.
March
For the first time in two seasons, Ohio will host Kent State. The Golden Flashes and the Bobcats last met in Sept. 2016, when Ohio swept the series by a combined 8-2 score.
Led by Jonathon Buttitta (20-26-46) and Sean Moore (12-30-42), the Golden Flashes have dipped in and out of the national computer polls throughout the 2018-19 season.
The series against Kent State is the final series of the regular season and will serve as senior night for the class of 2019.
Extras
March is filled with post-season play as the CSCHL Tournament runs from March 15-17. The American Collegiate Hockey Association National Tournament, hosted by the Dallas Stars, begins March 21 and ends the 26th.
