After defeating Calvin University, Ohio moved on to the ACHA National Championship game. The Bobcats shut out Adrian College for all but the last five minutes to win 3-1 and become the National Champions of D1 club hockey for the first time since 2004.
The ultimate success came after a 28-6 regular season. This was only the second season for head coach Barry Schutte. The Bobcats bounced back after arena repairs in the previous season meant half as many home games as usual.
Throughout the tournament, 14 different Bobcats scored. All three goalies contributed, allowing only 6 goals on 107 shots faced.
Luc Reeve, alternate captain and forward, was named tournament MVP. He tallied a total of 4 goals and 4 assists over the four games. He led the tournament in points.
Round of 16:
Ohio defeated the University of Arizona Wildcats in overtime, 5-4. Due to their No. 2 seeding, the Bobcats received a bye to the round of 16. They got off to a quick start with 3 goals, but Arizona mounted a comeback.
In the first period, freshman Lance Mengel scored early. Alternate captain, Noah Holt, assisted Mengel. Then, junior Donovan Burdette took advantage of traffic in the crease to give the Bobcats a 2-0 lead. The third goal belonged to sophomore Kevin Kasper.
The Wildcats answered during the second period with 3 goals of their own.
Although Arizona took the lead in the third, Holt tied it up again with his top-shelf shot. In sudden death overtime, sophomore Blake Dustin scored with an assist from Reeve. Ohio narrowly avoided the upset.
Quarterfinal:
In the next round, Ohio faced off against a familiar opponent, the University of Maryville. The Bobcats and the Saints played each other four times in the regular season. Ohio dominated this match. The final score was 8-1. Reeve recorded a hat trick. Maryville tried everything, including all three of its goalies, but Ohio was unstoppable.
The Bobcats exploded into action in the first period. They scored 5 goals.
First, captain Jack Glen scored with an assist from senior Drake Albers. Ohio gained the man-advantage, and Reeve found junior Drake Nabozny to score. Sophomore Blake was the next Bobcat to bury the puck. Holt and Mengel provided the assists.
Maryville’s defense continued to struggle. Junior Barron Stibbe scored Ohio’s fourth goal of the night. With only nine seconds remaining in the first period, Reeve netted a power-play goal.
In the second, Maryville scored once. Reeve scored a second power-play goal with help from Albers and Nabozny. The Bobcats finished up the game with two more in the third, from sophomore Nolan Abraham and Reeve again.
Semifinal:
Ohio shut out Calvin University 4-0. Senior goalie Garrett Alderman earned his third of the season.
Reeve opened the scoring early and earned his fourth goal of the tournament with assists from seniors Hollander Thomspon and Laker Aldridge. Later in the first, junior forward Will Cohen found the back of the net. Abraham and Burdette provided the assists.
A quiet second period had no goals or penalties. Albers scored on a backhand in front of the crease. Mengel assisted. Finally, sophomore forward TJ Richey passed to sophomore defender Gavin Keller for an empty net goal.
National Championship Game:
The Adrian Bulldogs should have been a tough opponent. They upset the fourth seed, University of Nevada - Las Vegas, in the semifinals. They scored at least 3 goals in their previous four tournament games. The regular season matchup between Ohio and Adrian was tight, each team winning a game by 2 goals.
This game was personal, too; Adrian knocked Ohio out of the playoffs in the last four seasons.
Nevertheless, the Bobcats kept their offensive momentum going. Senior goalie Matt Zazon made 26 of 27 saves. He was one of the best goalies in the league. His season save percentage was .942 with four shutouts.
Laker Aldridge scored Ohio’s first goal late in the first period. He collected the rebound from Dustin’s slap shot and wrapped the puck around the far side of the net. Freshman defender Brady Gilbert had the secondary assist. Aldridge missed weeks of the spring season due to a knee injury. His triumphant return helped secure the championship for the Bobcats.
Next, Abraham buried a wrist shot top shelf immediately after Ohio killed a penalty. Mengel and Reeve assisted with the play. The Bobcats ended the second period up 2-0.
Zazon saved puck after puck, including an impressive one stretched out in the splits, but the Bulldogs eventually succeeded in the third. Senior Nathaniel Mott scored unassisted. Adrian pulled the goalie, allowing Cohen to earn an empty net goal. The Bobcats killed the clock for 92 seconds.
Gloves flew, shouts erupted and the Bobcats were National Champions. It capped off an incredible season for Ohio, returning to the mountaintop of club hockey for the first time in over 20 years.
