Friday
Ohio (2-0) played the Syracuse University Orange (0-2) to open the 2026 season at Bird Ice Arena. On Friday night, the Bobcats crushed the Orange in a 9-0 victory.
Two rookies scored while two other Bobcats recorded a multi-goal game. The Bobcats outshot the Orange 58-28.
Before the game, the team revealed a banner commemorating their previous season championship. The players who graduated last year performed an honorary puck drop.
“It’s pretty tough, but really cool to join a team that won a national championship,” Breydan Zupsansky, a sophomore and rookie forward, said. “You know what the guys are capable of now and going forward.”
The Bobcats showed up ready to play. They scored four goals in the first period. Although he let four in, Cash Lawrence, sophomore and Syracuse goalie, made four highlight-worthy saves.
Right out of the gate, Will Cohen, alternate captain and graduate student, scored. Blake Dustin, junior defender, made a pass between the legs to freshman forward Alex Thomas, who connected seamlessly with Cohen.
Two minutes later, Thomas found the back of the net with a wrist shot. Senior forward Kevin Kasper and Cohen assisted Thomas’ first goal as a Bobcat.
“Thomas is a dynamic player,” Head Coach Barry Schutte said. “He likes the puck on his stick. He played with confidence and didn’t look like a first-year guy this weekend.”
Kasper then added a goal to his night. Dustin and Thomas assisted.
Penalties played a key part in the outcome of the game. A tussle around the Orange’s net led to a penalty for the Bobcats. A man disadvantage could not slow the Bobcats down. Senior forward Barron Stibbe buried a shorthanded goal. Cohen and TJ Richey, junior defender, provided the assists.
Matt Zazon, graduate student and Ohio goalie, was solid throughout the night.
“Z (Zazon) played a great game,” Zupsansky said. “He saved us a couple times on sloppy plays.”
In the second period, Ohio kept the pressure on. Kasper scored again right away and his line, along with Cohen and Thomas stepped up big. They contributed to five of the nine goals in the game.
Different players put points on the board. Laker Aldridge, senior forward, scored via an assist from Richey. Ohio grabbed another short-handed goal. Cohen shot the puck between the goalie’s legs. Stibbe and Gavin Keller, junior defender, assisted.
The tension from last period returned. Two scraps nearly turned into full-blown fights. A 10-minute misconduct for Syracuse’s Ben Brant, sophomore forward, helped Ohio, since Brant is one of Syracuse's best scorers. Brant was later ejected from the game, along with Kasper.
The Bobcats had a problem with getting blatant penalties. The referees sent players to the box on two separate occasions for retaliation. Luckily, their penalty kill was up to the task.
In the third period, penalties continued to impact the game. Mathieu Ovaert, senior forward, scored on a pass from Aldridge during a power play. Dustin also assisted.
Syracuse had a last-minute burst of energy, but it was not enough to stop the Ohio onslaught. Zupsansky scored a power play goal with an opportunistic shot as the puck bounced around in front of the net. Drake Nabozny, alternate captain and senior defender, and Thomas assisted.
“I didn’t have a goal all game, and I wanted one,” Zupsansky said. “I tried to be smart and stay in front of the net. I let my teammates do the work and the puck kind of popped out. I just buried it home.”
Saturday
In the second game, the Bobcats shut out the Orange 6-0. The Bobcats changed up who was in net, starting with senior Garrett Alderman. Lawrence suited up again for the Orange. Although their play struggled at times compared to the previous night, the Bobcats kept their composure to take a clear victory.
“The first weekend or two, you never know what you’re going to get,” Coach Schutte said. “I was pleased with our training camp. We played some real positive hockey tonight, even if some stretches were sloppy. To not give up a goal, credit to our goaltenders and our overall defense, which we take pride in.”
Kasper set the tone immediately. He scored eleven seconds into the first. Noah Holt, captain and senior forward, made it a 2-0 game. Lance Mengel, sophomore forward, battled to get to the net. Holt entered the zone after Mengel and cleaned up the rebound. Ovaert had the secondary assist.
The second period only had one goal, but more penalties. Midway through, Ohio had nearly four minutes straight on the penalty kill. Alderman and the defense were clinical as they prevented any opportunity for Syracuse.
After the game settled down, Aldridge scored the sole goal of the frame. Junior forward Nolan Abraham passed across the zone to Zupsansky, who was waiting at the back door. Lawrence dove for Zupsansky, leaving a wide-open net for Aldridge.
The Bobcats controlled possession until intermission, but could not find the back of the net.
Holt stole the show in the third period. Five minutes in, his shot flew under the goalie. Mengel and Grant Gostlin, sophomore rookie forward, assisted.
The same trio came together for another goal. Mengel and Gostlin won the faceoff. Holt ripped a shot before the announcer finished reporting his previous goal. Holt’s hat trick meant he was one goal away from 50 across his entire college career.
“Noah (Holt) has taken the reins to replace the shoes that Jack (Glen) left, which were huge,” Schutte said. “With 13 seniors, the decision was by committee. They set the standard every day. Noah has done a great job this fall.”
To finish the series, Thomas tipped in sophomore defender Brady Gilbert’s shot. Lawrence could not drop fast enough to stop the puck between his legs.
Ohio’s 15 unanswered goals demonstrated it can build off its success and so far, there is no championship hangover in sight.
Next weekend, the Bobcats face the University of Cincinnati Bearcats (2-2) at Bird Arena. Friday’s game begins at 7 p.m., with Saturday’s game starting at 5 p.m.
