No. 1 ranked Ohio (13-1) swept its weekend series against Kent State (7-6-1). Ohio boasted a complete team that scored often and had the fewest goals against in the league. On the other hand, Kent State failed to continue its six-game win streak heading into the weekend.
Friday
Senior Garrett Alderman started in goal Friday night for Ohio. The Flashes struck first with a quick shot, then another on a perfect pass into the crease. Alderman stopped both with ease.
“Our first 10-12 minutes, we were sloppy,” head coach Barry Schutte said. “I liked how we finished the first period.”
Despite the slow start, Ohio outshot Kent State 22-7 in the first. Ohio freshman Lance Mengel found the back of the net with a shot from the goalie’s right. Alex Mazzuca provided the assist. Five minutes later, alternate captain Luc Reeve scored. He fell because of a check on his initial shot. Still, he was able to scramble up and put away the puck off a rebound. The Bobcats ended the period up 2-0.
Overall, the second period was the Bobcats' strongest. The Flashes took an early penalty, and the man advantage allowed junior Noah Holt to score on a wrist shot, once again from the goalie’s right side. Blake Dustin and Laker Aldridge made the assists.
Ohio dominated possession as Kent State only managed four shots. A short fight broke out with four minutes remaining. Aldridge took advantage and scored. Reeve earned his second point with the primary assist, and Hollander Thompson had the secondary assist.
Kent State reset ahead of the third period. The team scored three goals, piling the pressure on Ohio. The Bobcats controlled the puck until a big hit left one of the Flashes injured. Kasper was ejected while Aldridge served the major penalty in his place.
“We had a huge kill by some guys,” Schutte said. “And then, unfortunately, our guys that weren’t killing were not ready to execute when they stepped on the ice. (Kent State) was opportunistic, so give them a bunch of credit.”
Matthew Parker for the Flashes scored seconds after the Bobcat power play ended. This goal opened the floodgates for Kent State to claw its way back into the game. Undisciplined play led to another penalty against the Bobcats. Again, the Flashes scored. As the clock wound down, Kent State managed a final goal. It wasn’t pretty, but the Bobcats pulled out the 4-3 win.
Saturday
After a tight game the previous night, Ohio aimed to return to its strong defensive form. All three goalies ranked in the top 15 for save percentage before the weekend. Senior Matt Zazon started in goal and ended up earning a shutout in a 4-0 win.
Neither team started particularly strong, although the Flashes had a sequence of three chances against Zazon. With 13 minutes and 14 seconds remaining in the period, the Flashes took a slashing penalty. Messy passes prevented the Bobcats from generating any real offense on the power play.
Kent State almost scored after an excellent forecheck right in front of Ohio’s net. Zazon made two impressive saves.
“In the first, there were two or three shifts where we were a little sloppy, and he made two big saves,” Schutte said about Zazon.
After a scoreless first period, the Bobcats piled on the offensive pressure in the second. Kent State’s Cole Bianchin was penalized for boarding. Once again, Ohio was unable to capitalize on the man advantage. Although Kent State’s goalie was caught out of position throughout the period, the defense still kept Ohio away from the goal. The Bobcats killed a penalty, which flipped a switch in their game. They had two shorthanded breakaways. At full strength, freshman Nick Mahy made a neat pass between the legs. Mazzuca scored.
Celebrations from the crowd signaled a second Ohio goal, this one by Reeve. An early whistle meant the goal did not count. At the end of the second period, the Bobcats led 1-0 and 31-11 in shots.
The Bobcats continued to control puck possession. Kent State goalie Matthew Weiss made a beautiful glove save. Halfway through the third period, Reeve shot the puck for a goal that counted this time. Aldridge picked up the assist.
Reeve and Aldridge earned another point each when they assisted senior Tommy Kloepfer’s goal. Unlike the night before, the Bobcats played aggressively the entire 60 minutes. The Flashes defended the crease well. One of their players even stepped off the ice due to a foot injury following a blocked shot.
To cap off the successful weekend, Zazon made a sliding glove save. Right off the next faceoff, Drake Nabozny cleared the puck up the ice. Kent State had pulled its goalie and a lucky bounce led to an empty net goal. Reeve snagged his third point for the night and Zazon earned his second shut out of the season by the end of the game.
The Bobcats have a chance to prove themselves against tough opponents in the upcoming weeks. Friday and Saturday, they face Maryville University (5-6). Then, the team heads on a road trip to Chicago.
“Our schedule between now and Christmas is all nationally ranked top ten teams,” Schutte said. “We’re going to have to get rested and be ready to put our best selves out there, because they’re real physical. They fight you for it, every inch of the ice.”
