Ohio has earned another series sweep after taking down Drexel 6-2, but it was not the Bobcats most glorious win.
“We won the game. I think good teams find a way to win even if they don’t play well, and we didn’t play well,” coach Lionel Mauron said.
The Bobcats struggled with their determination and their usual physical defensive strategy.
“I think we played down to Drexel’s level … We lacked all the good things that we did against Liberty. We kind of got away from it,” said Mauron.
However, the Bobcats still managed to come out on top even though they didn’t show their best skills.
On Friday night, the Bobcats struggled in the third period, letting the wheels fall off and allowing the Dragons to score some easy goals. The Bobcats were able to improve upon that Saturday, partially due to the high energy levels in a packed Bird Arena, but they still were not quite up to the level that Mauron wants them to be at.
“Sometimes when you’re not challenged you don’t push yourself, and now with the playoff coming up we just need to start playing championship games,” Mauron said.
The first period was a stalemate on both sides until about 10 minutes in, when Ryan Hastings smacked one into the net, assisted by Sam Turner, to bring the score to 1-0. The lack of offensive production was in part due to some solid defensive performances from both teams, with crucial saves near the goal that prevented any scoring. The Dragons defense certainly stepped up after the Bobcats put up eight goals against them on Friday night.
Quite a bit of scoring occurred in the second period, along with quite a few penalties. Spencer Schons started the period off with another goal for Ohio. Not even 5 minutes later, Luc Reeve took advantage of the power play and put another point on the board to give the Bobcats a three goal lead. The Dragons were not going down without a fight, however, as they responded in the late minutes of the period with their first goal of the evening. The Bobcats were able to keep the Dragons at bay despite their 10 penalty minutes.
The Bobcats gained some of the momentum they lacked earlier, putting up three goals in the third period alone. Tommy Kloepfer got the action started scoring his third goal of the season, with Nick Ventura following him, also earning his third goal of the season. The Bobcats lacked the comfortable lead they had Friday night, so there was an air of tension once Drexel earned another point making it a two-goal game. However, Blake Rossi came through with a late goal into an unguarded net that secured the victory for the Bobcats.
Managing Editor
