After jumping two spots in this week’s American Collegiate Hockey Association poll, No. 4 Ohio is looking to continue to move up in the rankings.
Ohio will continue its quest for first place against Illinois on Friday and Saturday. The Fighting Illini are ranked No. 20, which would be the last spot that qualifies for the ACHA Championship.
For the first time ever, the ranking system will determine the 20 teams that compete for the 2014 ACHA Men’s Division I National Championships.
“We are starting to prepare for playoffs and hopefully nationals,” coach Jonathon Sheridan said. “It is getting to the point where we have worked hard, learned and struggled. Now it is time to put all of that in play — to burn our ships and put it all out there.”
In other words, Illinois will be fighting for their season this weekend, so the Bobcats have to be on their toes.
“Illinois is a good team, they have just had a tough time finding who they are,” Sheridan said. “Games between us are always good games, (so) they aren’t a team we can take lightly. Having that extra motivation will definitely help them come out with a little more fire. This weekend will be a challenge for us.”
Freshman forward Cody von Rueden, who has notched 27 points in as many games and is one of the league leaders, leads the Fighting Illini in points. Overall, the scoring has been spread throughout the Illini roster, as there are 10 players who scored 10 or more points. The team is also coming to Athens on a two-game win streak.
The Bobcats, meanwhile, are coming of off a stale 2-1 overtime loss to Iowa State on Saturday, when a breakaway goal by Cyclone forward Mark Huber defeated Ohio.
The Bobcats dropped in performance despite registering a towering 41 shots and are looking to capitalize on those chances this weekend.
Up next:
Who: Ohio vs. Illinois
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Admission: $5 for students, $7 for all others
ks363012@ohiou.edu
