For the vast majority of the season, Ohio has had either Matt Server or Max Karlenzig in net, and they have both performed as the team needed them to. When Server got the call to start Friday night’s eventual 6-4 loss to Iowa State, the Bobcats didn’t think Karlenzig would be seeing the ice as soon as he did.
With the Bobcats trailing the No. 5 Cyclones 4-1 at the end of the first period, Ohio coach Lionel Mauron made the switch and brought Karlenzig into the game for the second and third.
It had been a rough period for Server, who had allowed just five goals in his first three games of the season. He was unlucky Friday, however, as some of the goals he allowed came on deflections and erratic bounces.
Despite Server’s struggles in the first period, Mauron’s decision to take him out was about more than just the play of the sophomore goaltender.
“I think the goalie change is always interesting because everybody thinks that it’s going against the goalie who is coming out,” Mauron said. “But, really, it’s just kind of a wake up call for the whole team that we need to be better.”
That wake-up call certainly worked, as Ohio outscored the Cyclones 3-2 over the final two periods, with one of Iowa State’s goals coming in the final seconds into an empty net.
As for Karlenzig, he knew coming into the game that a change in net could be a possibility.
“Playing a team like this where they’re higher-seeded than us,“ Karlenzig said. “I’m coming into this game ready to play, even if I’m not starting.”
The sophomore was certainly ready, as he made a number of big saves to keep Ohio in the game as he set out to do.
“When I see the goals start going in, then obviously, on the bench, I start mentally preparing myself,” Karlenzig said. “Then I just get on the ice, and I just want to work on keeping our team in the game to give us a chance to try and bring it back.”
With Karlenzig in net and the Iowa State offense stymied — at least after a goal early in the second period — Ohio had the springboard it needed to get back in the game. The Bobcats slowly wrestled control back in the second, and even though they still trailed 5-1, they’d make it a close competition in the final period.
“When we have that momentum, the energy on the bench is just so much higher,” Karlenzig said.
Ohio almost brought it back, as it scored three goals in the final period and spent the majority of it in Iowa State’s defensive zone. The Bobcats made it 5-4 with just about 13 seconds left before an empty-net goal from the Cyclones put the game to bed. However, Karlenzig said they have the Cyclones right where they want them.
“They’re scared,” Karlenzig said. “We’re gonna come into tomorrow ready to kick these guys right out of here.”
If the final two periods of Friday night’s game are anything to go by, the Bobcats should have an easier time doing that Saturday.
