The first meetings between Ohio and Indiana resulted in a lopsided turnout in favor of the Bobcats, and the trend continued this weekend in Bloomington, Ind.
First-place Ohio (16-4-1) extended its winning streak to seven games and outscored the Hoosiers 15-4 during the weekend, as the Bobcats won both games by final scores of 4-1 on Friday and 11-3 on Saturday.
Coach Jonathon Sheridan was impressed with the overall performance of his team and is pleased to see the group’s cohesiveness.
“I think the guys are coming together,” said Sheridan. “We’re getting a lot of support from the younger guys, and the older guys are helping out… This is a fun time to be a part of the team.”
During Friday’s game, all four of the Bobcats’ goals came from different sources and by the end of the weekend, 10 different players tallied goals.
Freshman forward Liam Geither scored three times in the series, while teammates Joe Breslin, Garrett Williams and Patrick Spellacy put up two apiece.
After winning their third consecutive matchup with the Hoosiers on Friday, Ohio dominated Indiana on Saturday, as it attempted 69 shots on goal, compared to the Hoosiers’ mere 25 attempts.
“We have a lot of skilled guys,” said Sheridan. “We’re getting pucks to the net and in the traffic zones to the scoring zones… We have guys that are willing to be hit or take a slash for a goal.”
In addition to the high-octane offense that has produced 43 goals during the Bobcats’ win streak, an overlooked part of the team’s success has been its defense, which has only surrendered 15 goals.
According to Sheridan, a balanced game is something that has been stressed all year.
“I think the defense is playing great,” Sheridan said. “We have a very deep, very solid unit, and these guys compete against each other every day… I’m very proud of how they’ve been playing.”
Next up, Ohio will travel to Kent State in two weeks, when it will look to extend its winning streak and stay atop the CSCHL leaderboard.
@kelsey_surmacz4
