In St. Louis, the No.1 ranked Bobcats (6-0) defeated the Maryville University Saints (2-3) twice. Friday, Ohio won 3-1. Maryville was ranked No. 12 in this week’s ACHA poll. Saturday, Ohio found its offensive rhythm and won 5-2. Maryville struggled with penalties, allowing three power play goals for Ohio.
Friday
Graduate student goalie Matt Zazon guarded the Bobcats’ net. The Saints played freshman Thomas Samborski.
Senior forward Laker Aldridge opened the scoring for the Bobcats in the first period. Attempts from senior alternate captain and forward Luc Reeve and sophomore forward Breyden Zupsansky caused a bouncing puck. Aldridge hammered it in the back of the net. This was his fourth goal of the season.
Halfway through the period, Reeve gave Ohio a two point lead. His wrist shot from the faceoff dot rocketed past the goalie’s left side. Aldridge and Zupsansky assisted.
The second period was a quiet one. There were no goals. The referees called a single penalty, tripping against Maryville.
In the third period, the Saints’ goal was the first against Zazon this season. Sophomore defender Justin Vandermeer’s shot went in after passes from freshmen forwards David Vitt and Aaron Vanwie.
In the 17th minute, Aldridge was sent to the box for hooking. Maryville pulled its goalie, making it 6-on-4. Ohio’s penalty kill was up to the test. Junior defender Gavin Keller scored his first goal this year into the empty net.
Saturday
The Bobcats followed with another win. Ohio put senior Scott Bird in net, while Maryville stuck with Samborski from the previous night.
Both teams started slow in the first. The Saints made a crucial mistake with one second remaining as Senior forward Ethan Chesney earned a five-minute major penalty for boarding. That penalty carried into the next period.
In the second, Reeve scored on that powerplay. Junior forward Nolan Abraham and freshman forward Alex Thomas assisted.
Next, senior captain and forward Noah Holt charged past the blue line to score. Senior forward Mathieu Ovaert and Zupsansky contributed to the play. Maryville struck back. Vanwie scored with assists from Vitt and senior forward Josh Olson.
Olson then gave the Bobcats a power play. Like before, the Bobcats made the Saints regret it. Reeve beat a defender to the net and slipped the puck past the goalie. Zupsansky earned his fourth assist of the weekend along with senior alternate captain and defender Drake Nabozny.
While Reeve’s goal ended the Saints’ disadvantage, the Bobcats made it 4-1 before the buzzer sounded. Freshman forward Rylan Oster scored his first goal of his college career. Freshman forward Gianni DiVita and sophomore forward Lance Mengel assisted.
In the final period, Ohio converted on the power play a third time. The goalie moved out of position, giving Zupsansky an open net. Reeve and Nabozny added another assist to their tallies.
Maryville’s freshman forward Brock Mcilwain scored, assisted by freshmen Kai Duncan and Nick Beatty. Still, the team ended the weekend with two losses.
The Bobcats return to Athens to play Stony Brook University (0-1-1). Friday’s game is at 7 p.m. at Bird Arena. Saturday is an afternoon game at 3 p.m. Stony Brook started its season later than most teams, so it is hard to know what to expect for its third game.
