Gabe Lampron skated toward the Ohio locker room with a smile from cheek to cheek. As he took off his helmet, he let out a sigh of relief. The senior forward played a small yet crucial role in the Bobcats’ 6-3 win over Syracuse on Friday night in Bird Arena.
Lampron has been on an offensive surge as of late. In four games he’s had five points (two goals, three assists). In just those four games alone, Lampron matched his point total for the whole first half of the Bobcats’ schedule.
“It feels good (to play loose),” he said. “It definitely feels good when you go so long without producing and you want to be producing when you’re an older guy on the team. I feel like I can loosen my grip a little bit and start to make plays down the stretch here.”
In Friday’s game he did produce.
Ohio and Syracuse passed the halfway mark of the first period scoreless with each team trying to establish a sense of rhythm and control.
With a series of passes and a dominant puck control in its offensive zone, freshman Drew Magyar sent the puck to Lampron who sent it home between the goalie’s legs for Ohio’s first goal of the night.
His second point of the night came when Ohio needed it most, trying to hold off an Orange comeback.
Up 4-3, Lampron sent the puck to fellow linesman Ryan Higgins, who sent it to the blue line where it was immediately met by the stick of Grant Hazel.
Lampron’s career has fluctuated among the Bobcats’ second, third and fourth lines. He’s grown up on the bottom lines and while it always isn’t flashy, his play serves a role for the team.
“Not every night are Gianni (Evangelisti) and (Tyler) Harkins are going to be our leading goal scorers,” Lampron said. “Everyone has an off night and those are the important nights where guys like me step up and start producing.”
While guys like Evangelisti produced against Syracuse (a hat-trick for the junior), in terms of confidence and longevity, it’s critical that guys like Lampron are able to produce if Ohio wants to have a chance to achieve its goals of another national championship.
Aside from production, Lampron’s role as a leader paid dividends as none of Ohio’s third or fourth liners took any penalties.
“Gabe brings out a great attitude every night,” coach Sean Hogan said. “He’s doing the little things.”
“The little things” like setting up the net-front screen on Hazel’s goal. Like working offensively and defensively on the penalty kill. Like communicating and calling out plays and systems while identifying what Syracuse did.
Those are the kind of habits that give Ohio the potential to achieve its goals.
“If you do things the right way, good things are going to happen,” Lampron said.
Lampron and Ohio’s next opportunity to do things the right way is on Saturday night against Syracuse in its final game of the weekend series.
