Ohio’s hard-fought victories keeps it unbeaten at home after sweeping CSCHL rival Lindenwood.
It’s rare to see playoff-style hockey in the middle of a season, except for when two nationally ranked heavyweights collide.
At the exact halfway mark of its American Collegiate Hockey Association schedule, No. 8 Ohio swept No. 4 Lindenwood this weekend at Bird Arena.
The games featured low shot totals and much less scoring than Ohio fans have grown accustomed to seeing at home, where the Bobcats (14-2-2) had outscored their opponents 53-6 heading into the weekend.
Regardless, the hard-hitting, back-and-forth, non-stop efforts by both teams provided a treat for hockey fans that appreciate a true battle.
“It’s definitely a playoff, national championship-type atmosphere,” goalie Aaron Alkema said about how it feels when squaring off against a team like Lindenwood. “We thrive in that environment.”
Alkema started both games this weekend for the Bobcats after missing last weekend with an injury. The 6-foot-4 goalkeeper said he felt good and there were no lingering issues, as he allowed just two goals on 33 shots to earn both wins.
Friday’s game started out like most of Ohio’s home games this season — with an early goal. Tom Whetsel scored at the 5:09 mark of the first period on a nifty deke that allowed him to slip the puck through Lindenwood goalie Cody Karpinski’s legs.
However, after Lindenwood (8-7-1) tied the score later in the frame, the game’s scoring chances slowed down and no goals were scored in the remaining 45:54 of regulation.
In overtime, Liam Geither found a streaking Matthew Hartman, who broke away to score and give the Bobcats the victory. Geither earned third star honors, and Hartman was named the game’s first star.
“It was tense for sure,” coach Sean Hogan said. “They scored… we battled back. I love the resiliency of our team.”
Saturday’s action had a very similar feel, except it was Lindenwood that jumped out to an early first-period lead, followed by an Ohio equalizer from Nathan De La Torre later in the period.
In the third period, Joey Breslin’s power play deflection goal off Mike Kretz’s point shot put the Bobcats on top for good. It was Ohio’s second of three unanswered goals. Vincent Nicolella scored with under five minutes remaining to ice the game for the Bobcats.
Breslin’s go-ahead tally provided the only power play goal of the weekend, despite twenty minor penalties between the teams combined. Ohio’s penalty kill unit shut down Lindenwood’s division-best power play, which entered the weekend with a scoring efficiency of 32.4 percent.
Winning two games over Lindenwood should have a significant impact on Ohio’s national ranking. Hogan projects that the wins should “catapult (Ohio) somewhere near the top five.”
The Bobcats should leapfrog the Lions in the rankings, though Lindenwood still leads the division by one point. The teams will play again in January, but for now the Bobcats can relish in its hard-fought victories over a division rival.
“Anytime we beat a top-quality league team like (Lindenwood) … it’s something we expect to do,” Alkema said. “That’s how it is here at Ohio.”
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