For their final two games of the regular season, the Ohio Bobcats swept the Liberty University Flames in a rematch of the previous weekend. Although both teams are pretty much guaranteed to make the tournament, this series was important for seeding. The National Championship selection show will air on FloHockey on Tuesday.
Ohio (28-6) dropped a spot to third in the computer rankings after it traded wins with Liberty (19-10-2). The Bobcats needed to return to their high-scoring form to claim victory, and they did over the weekend with two more wins.
Friday
The first game was tight, with a final score after overtime ending 6-5 in favor of the Bobcats. They skated off to a quick start but let the Flames catch up. This was only the second time senior goalie Matt Zazon allowed more than two goals this season. Senior forward Drake Albers carried the team with his two goals and two assists.
Seconds into the first period, Albers scored. Junior forward Mathieu Ovaert assisted on the quick goal. Freshman defender Brady Gilbert followed Albers’ lead with a goal less than a minute later. It was his first career goal as a Bobcat. Alternate captain Luc Reeve and senior forward Hollander Thompson provided assists.
Then, Albers gave Ohio a 3-0 lead. Junior defender Drake Nabozny and captain Jack Glen assisted Albers’ second goal. Liberty managed to score, though. Freshman Bronson Hunt scored the first goal of his career, and Liberty’s Konrad Kausch earned a rare goalie assist.
Unlike the physical games from the previous matchups, the first penalty came late in the second period. The Bobcats killed the penalty but let in three goals. It was an uncharacteristic breakdown of defense.
A last-minute power play gave Ohio the chance to even the score. Junior forward Will Cohen notched a goal with assists from Albers and sophomore forward Nolan Abraham.
In the third, the Bobcats avoided penalties. They regained the lead with sophomore forward Kevin Kasper’s goal. The assists were from Albers and Glen. The win looked secure, but the Flames snuck a shot past Zazon in the final minute to send the game to overtime. Incredibly, Hunt, who had never scored before, earned a hat trick.
With Liberty and the home crowd fueled by the clutch hat trick, Ohio had to fight against a hostile environment. Luckily for them, the Liberty star Hunt took a major penalty for spearing. Reeve used the man-advantage to score the game-winning goal.
Saturday
Again, Ohio pushed itself to a hot start. For the final game of the regular season, the team played its typical high-performance offense. The defense was also improved from the night before as the Bobcats held the Flames to two goals.
Thompson scored 26 seconds into the game. The promising start included assists from Reeve and sophomore Gavin Keller. The Flames struggled on defense and allowed three more goals. Alternate captain and forward Noah Holt found the back of the net twice, including once on the power play.
Liberty was able to get past senior goalie Scott Bird once in the first period. Then, Holt passed to Abraham for a goal. Ohio finished the period with a 4-1 lead.
The goalie for Liberty, Kausch, started in all four games against Ohio. It was a tough ask for a college player, and the coaches subbed him out for Nicholas Bernstein to start the second period.
Bernstein had more success, but Ohio’s freshman forward Lance Mengel scored. Junior forward Barron Stibbe and Nabozny assisted on the Bobcats' fifth and final goal of the night.
Late in the third period, the Flames scored. Bird ended the game with a respectable 25 saves on 27 shots. He had a .946 save percentage for the regular season, placing him fourth among goalies who played at least five games.
The Bobcats return to action over spring break when they take on Nationals. As of now, the bracket is not set. They will most likely play on Mar. 13, due to their expected high ranking, in St. Louis at the Centene Community Ice Center.
