The Cyclones may have brought a nail biter to the Bird on Friday night, but the Bobcats stood tough and bested the storm.
No. 6 Ohio defeated rival No. 7 Iowa State 5-2 on Jan. 17, but the victory certainly did not come easy. In a game full of tight checking and physicality, the Bobcats cashed in on key opportunities and earned the win.
Ohio registered the first goal of the contest when forward Michael Harris wristed a shot from the blue line past Iowa State goaltender Scott Ismond, a power play goal at 7:41. As it ended up, this is just one of many key special teams moments that defined the game.
Ohio ended up 3-for-8 on the power play, as Nathan De La Torre and Mike Kretz also each cashed in on the man advantage during the third period. The Bobcat penalty kill was also good, as it only allowed one power play goal in seven chances by the Cyclones.
The game as a whole featured strong forechecking and a lot of physicality from both sides, as the score remained 1-0 Bobcats through two periods. Each team also registered a relatively high number of penalty minutes, as the Cyclones had 16 to the Bobcats’ 14.
After Ohio’s fourth goal, Ismond was lifted in favor of junior goalie Mike Ness, and although this provided a bit of a late-game spark for the Cyclones, it still was not enough. Ohio goaltender Aaron Alkema turned in a strong performance, as he stopped 21 of 23 Cyclone shots, both of Iowa State’s late goals coming from talented freshman forward Chase Rey.
In addition, Harris and forward Brett Agnew each registered two points for Ohio, while Matt Hartman and Liam Geither also added a goal each, Geither’s being an empty netter. Ohio finished with 32 shots on goal and hopes to build on their strong performance Saturday night, when the Cyclones look for vengeance in game two.
