High scoring has played a significant part in Ohio’s success, as the squad has registered 147 goals this season.
Although the scoring has come from all fronts, freshman forward Patrick Spellacy has helped pace the Bobcats, as he is second in scoring after registering 32 points, behind only linemate Brett Agnew.
“(Spellacy) has been great for us this year,” Agnew said. “He’s been one of our top guys to count on and he’s a freshman. He’s a good hockey player but an even better person and teammate.”
Spellacy’s hockey career started long before lacing up and learning to skate at the age of two, while his father coached him as a child growing up in Lakewood, Ohio.
“(My dad was) kind of the reason why I started to play and is why I am where I am,” he said.
From there, Spellacy went on to play minor league hockey for the Kalamazoo K-Wings of the East Coast Hockey League, which is a mid-level professional league that sits a level below the American Hockey League — the farm league for the National Hockey League.
With Ohio, Spellacy has played 31 games this season, recording 17 goals and 15 assists and has registered points in nine of the Bobcats’ past 11 games.
“I think so far I’ve done pretty well,” Spellacy said. “I’m just trying to contribute to the team in any way I can. There (are) some things I can work on, but I think I’ve been doing well so far.”
When a player is performing well, it is only natural that the guys around him are doing the same. Agnew leads the team in points and goals, and the top line of him, Spellacy and center Matt Hartman have been a force all season.
Agnew and Spellacy have also been clutch performers, with the latest occurrence coming last Friday when the duo combined for each of Ohio’s goals to beat Illinois 2-1 during the final seconds.
“When the game’s on the line, it seems like someone always steps up and gets the job done,” Spellacy said. “And referencing our line, I think (Agnew) and myself clicked right off the bat earlier in the year. And (Hartman) has been a terrific center to play with as well.”
Spellacy is also happy with the team’s performance as a whole this season, with just six games remaining during the regular season before the ACHA Tournament begins.
“We have a strong group of veterans that have sort of taken all the young guys, including myself, under their wings,” Spellacy said. “It’s easy to succeed when there is strong leadership in the locker room, and I’ve been fortunate enough to capitalize on some of those opportunities.”
Perhaps it does, because sometimes all it takes is a solid team with a little bit of push from players such as Spellacy to reach the next level.
“It’s really important that we go into the tournament on a roll and clicking on all cylinders in order to go as far as we want to go,” Spellacy said. “I think that this team has what it takes to bring the hardware back to Athens.”
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