A scheduling quirk has led to a three-game weekend where Ohio faces No. 25 Indiana before making a Sunday trip to Morgantown, W. Va., where the Bobcats will face-off with No. 23 West Virginia.
Sophomore goalie Aaron Alkema will be returning to action after missing the previous weekend’s games against Illinois due to being hit in the head during practice. He was held out for precautionary reasons, coach Jonathon Sheridan said.
“Yeah, I’m feeling fine,” Alkema said. “It was just a minor thing but I’m set now.”
No. 11 Ohio will be looking to break through on a Saturday for the first time since the Canisius series from Oct. 18-19. Ohio dropped its past two Saturday games on the road against Iowa State and Illinois by a combined 9-5 margin after winning both Friday games by a combined score of 9-1.
Ohio will certainly have their opportunity, as the Hoosiers have dropped six games in a row, being outscored 39-13 in the process.
However, Sheridan isn’t taking the opponent lightly.
“Anytime you play in our league it’s a big night. We need the points; I think we should be 4-0 in our league and we’re 2-2,” Sheridan said. “We play in a very fun league; any night, any team in the league can beat you, and I enjoy that. It keeps everyone on their toes, ready to go.”
At the opposite end of the spectrum from Indiana is the West Virginia squad the Bobcats will travel to face Sunday. The Mountaineers have won three in a row and five of their past seven.
Although the Bobcats beat the Mountaineers 7-1, the previous time they played Sept. 27, both teams have grown since.
“When we played them, we weren’t the same team we are now,” Sheridan said. “As the season goes on you want to progress and consistently get better. They’re doing that, so hopefully it’ll be a good measuring stick to see how we’re doing also.”
He added that West Virginia is a hard working team that always attacks their opponent, which the team experienced in the first matchup.
“It’s going to be harder. They’ll probably be a little sharper than they were, but I think we’re going to be sharper also,” Sheridan said. “We fine-tuned our motors and we’ll be ready for it. It’s going to be a fun challenge and I’m excited.”
He added that practices were toned down so that the three-game stretch wouldn’t drain the team of their energy. He also said the team is at the point of the season where they understand the system and what’s expected on special teams, so the focus has switched over to smaller aspects such as their breakouts and face-offs.
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