No. 7 Ohio traveled to Ames, Iowa, for its final Central States Collegiate Hockey League series against Iowa State.
What could have been a second sweep in a row for the Bobcats turned into a split series after Iowa State won in overtime Saturday night. That win keeps Iowa State in the picture for the American Collegiate Hockey Association national tournament. Splitting a series with a top 10 team like Ohio means that nationals is not yet out of the question for the Cyclones.
Here’s a closer look at Ohio’s weekend series:
Friday
The Bobcats were dominant in the opening game of the series in a 4-1 win. After Sam Turner scored three minutes after puck drop, the Bobcats had no trouble outpacing the Cyclones.
Three of the four goals scored by Ohio were off the sticks of freshmen. Turner, J.T. Schimizzi and Blake Rossi all found the net for the Bobcats and put further space between them and the Cyclones.
The nail in the coffin came from Zach Frank, who gave Ohio the three-goal lead with five minutes left in the game.
Saturday
Ohio took the lead early once again after a first period goal by Ryan Higgins, but the lead wouldn’t hold in a 4-3 overtime loss.
Ten minutes into the third period, Hunter Dolan of Iowa State scored to push the Cyclones ahead. Although Timmy Thurnau was able to even the game at 3-3, neither team could break the deadlock, and overtime was forced.
The Cyclones scored three minutes into the overtime period and sent the Bobcats home with a split series but points in the rankings.
Quick numbers
6 — Ohio only had six total penalty minutes over the weekend. The Bobcats have an affinity for the penalty box this season but managed to keep themselves in check for their final CSCHL series.
2 — After its win on Friday night, Ohio has secured itself as the second seed in the CSCHL Tournament in March.
