Ohio released its planned schedule for the 2021 regular season Wednesday.
After Ohio’s season was postponed in August, the Bobcats will play matches once again in February.
The current schedule has a complete list of dates and opponents, although not all the match times have been set. The schedule is subject to change based on possible COVID-19 concerns in the future.
Here’s what’s on the Bobcats’ initial schedule of 16 matches:
Ohio’s first two matches will see it host Liberty at Bird Arena on Feb. 2 and Feb. 3. The Bobcats will face off against the Flames eight total times in the regular season. The next time will be when Ohio travels to Lynchburg to play against Liberty on Feb. 26 and Feb. 27. After that, the Flames come back to Athens on March 5 and March 6. Finally, the series will conclude March 19-20 in Lynchburg.
The Bobcats were 0-2 against the Flames last season.
Ohio’s next opponent is last year’s Central States division winner, Lindenwood, to begin a three-match road trip Feb. 5-6. The Bobcats split its series against the Lions 2-2 last year.
The final match of the short road trip sees Ohio travel to Adrian College on Feb. 18. The Bobcats haven’t played a match against the Bulldogs since 2017, when Ohio beat Adrian 4-2 in the American Collegiate Hockey Association Championship semifinals.
Ohio will also face off against Adrian in Athens on Feb. 19 for its next match.
After the next four matches against Liberty, Ohio will host Lindenwood on March 12-13 at Bird Arena to finish the series. Following those matches, the regular season will conclude with two more matches in Lynchburg against Liberty.
The Central States Collegiate Hockey League playoffs are scheduled to take place from March 26-27 in Lynchburg. The ACHA Tournament was originally scheduled to be held in Boston in April, but the five Divisional National Tournament format has been postponed until 2023, according to ACHA’s website.
