The Ohio hockey team committed an offensive assault at Bird Arena on Friday, as the Bobcats routed the Pittsburgh Panthers by a score of 8-1.
The win improves seventh-ranked Ohio's overall record to 28-7-2, and it was surely an impressive one.
The Bobcats went up 3-0 after the first, and all three of the goals came in a span of 2:25 near the end of the period. Garrett Williams got on the board first with just over four minutes left. The goal was his 11th of the season, assisted by Logan Pfeffer and Nathan De La Torre. Joe Breslin and Brett Agnew cashed in shortly after.
The second period unfolded in similar fashion, as the Bobcats did not score until past the halfway point of the period. Breslin scored his second of the game at 13:12 to put Ohio ahead, 4-0. De La Torre registered his 10th with 2:39 remaining in the period, before Pitt's Brian Stein cut the lead to 5-1 with only 36 seconds left.
One player that stood out for Ohio in game one was Breslin. He recored his first career Bobcat hat trick by scoring his third goal with 15:46 left on the clock, assisted by Mike Kretz. Kretz had a game to remember as well, as the junior defenseman tallied 5 assists on the night.
Also scoring goals in the third period for Ohio were Williams with his second of the night and sophomore forward Nick Hudeck.
In addition to the team's eight goals, Ohio dominated Pitt in the shot department, 41-20. Also, there was not a single penalty called on either team until the third period, when Kretz took a cross-checking penalty at 1:18.
Start time: 7:30 p.m. at Bird Arena (Athens, Ohio)
1st period:
Goals
Ohio: Garrett Williams (11), assisted by Logan Pfeffer and Nathan De La Torre; Joe Breslin (15), assisted by Tom Whetsel; Brett Agnew (20), assisted by Mike Kretz and Jonathan Gulch
Pittsburgh: None
Shots on goal
Ohio: 16
Pittsburgh: 7
Penalties
Ohio: None
Pittsburgh: None
2nd period:
Goals
Ohio: Breslin (16), assisted by Gulch and David Ramos; De La Torre (10), assisted by Kretz
Pittsburgh: Brian Stein
Shots on goal (Total after two)
Ohio: 32
Pittsburgh: 13
Penalties
Ohio: None
Pittsburgh: None
3rd period:
Goals
Ohio: Breslin (17), assisted by Kretz; Williams (12), assisted by De La Torre and Kretz; Nick Hudeck (6), assisted by Adam Steranko and Vincent Nicolella
Pittsburgh: None
Shots on goal (Game total)
Ohio: 41
Pittsburgh: 20
Penalties
Ohio: Kretz (1:18), 2:00--Cross-Checking; Tyler Benson (12:19), 2:00--Boarding
Pittsburgh: Jonathan Kashmere (10:55), 2:00--Tripping
Final: Ohio Bobcats 8, Pittsburgh Panthers 1
