Ohio (18-3) ended the fall semester on a high note, earning the No. 1 rank for the second time this season. They maintained their stellar form in this weekend’s sweep of Cincinnati (11-3-1). Although the teams have similar stats, Ohio has played seven more games and faced tougher opponents.
Friday
Riddled with penalties, the first game of the new year forced the Bobcats to fight hard. Still, they managed to defeat Cincinnati 7-1.
”With a four-week layoff, you never know what you’ll get,” head coach Barry Schutte said. “It was pretty sloppy tonight, as expected.”
Barely a minute into the match, Cincinnati's Matthew Bauman was called for tripping. Ohio jumped on the powerplay chance as senior captain Jack Glen scored, with assists from senior Hollander Thompson and alternate captain Noah Holt. Ohio kept the momentum going with junior forward Will Cohen, who put the puck away after passes from Holt and freshman Brady Gilbert.
Cincinnati's Jordan Winrod scored an unassisted goal, the team’s only of the game. They racked up four more penalties, but Ohio could not take advantage.
In the second period, the Bobcats started hot. Thompson tallied their third goal ninety seconds after the puck drop. New linemate freshman Lance Mengel had the primary assist, while defenseman Donovan Burdette earned his second of the season. Freshman Nick Mahy also scored before taking a holding penalty.
“I liked our transitions and our ozone pressure,” Schutte said.
The Bearcats were clearly flustered after two lackluster periods. A poor line change meant a penalty, and the game grew more physical as the period continued. During 3-on-3 play, due to a bout of roughing, Glen scored again. Defender Blake Dustin and forward Mathieu Ovaert assisted.
Halfway through, a major scrum broke out. Two players from each team received misconduct penalties. Neither team gained an advantage after that, even though Ohio fought through two penalty kills. To cap off the night, Thompson and senior Laker Aldridge each scored.
From the scoreboard, the game seemed a clear success. However, the Bobcats needed to clean up their penalties.
Saturday
Ohio raised the bar with even more offensive pressure. A whopping 50 shots led to a 9-1 win over the Bearcats. Three players had a multi-goal game, including junior right wing Barron Stibbe’s hat trick. Clean passes and constant offensive pressure were the keys to the win.
“The goal was our sixth period on the weekend to be our best, and it showed,” Schutte said. “All four lines got involved … You can cut corners, cheat, but I thought we continued to play the right way.”
In the first period, the Bobcats started strong. They scored two quick goals, and Stibbe scored off a broken play. Sophomores Kevin Kasper and Alex Mazzuca provided the assists. The Bearcats could not get a shot on net for the first five minutes. Yet, the Bobcats gained control seconds later. Aldridge charged the net. Mengel grabbed control and sent it back to Aldridge, who passed it to Thompson for the goal.
During four-on-four play, Cincinnati took another penalty. Forward Nolan Abraham used the man advantage, scoring on a wrist shot. After three Ohio goals, the Cincinnati coaches pulled their goalie. Logan Givens finished the period but faced little action.
Givens stayed on for the second period. The Bobcats' offense appeared to cool off, but the Bearcat goalies played sloppily. The Bobcats capitalized on these opportunities.
Thompson earned his second of the night. A mishandled play from the goalie gave him the perfect scoring chance. Aldridge and Mahy recorded assists. Albers made up for his earlier penalty, shooting on another out-of-place goalie. Ovaert and Glen earned their first points of the night on the assists.
Aldridge earned a rare jailbreak assist on Stibbe’s second goal. Another Ohio penalty meant a power-play goal for Cincinnati. Connor Lemmerbrock, the team’s leading scorer, found the back of the net.
“(Stibbe) can be a threat because he’s crafty,” Schutte said. “He got rewarded for playing a good 200-foot game all around.”
Up by five goals, the Bobcats didn’t quit in the third. They killed the remainder of Cohen’s penalty with ease. Senior forward Drake Albers stopped on a dime in front of the net and gave Ovaert the perfect set-up. This seventh goal was followed by Stibbe’s third goal, a hat trick, with assists from Kasper and junior Drake Nabozny.
The Bobcats’ final point was Abraham’s breakaway, where he shot the puck top shelf. The team dominated possession until the buzzer.
