Bobcats dominate Delaware 11-0, escape early Adrian threat 5-1
Ohio was left in a somewhat vulnerable position entering this weekend after a hectic week of schedule changes left the Bobcats unsure of who they would be hosting as late as Thursday afternoon.
No. 7 Ohio finalized a weekend against Division II Delaware and Division III Adrian in a situation forward Michael Harris described as giving the Bobcats “nothing to gain, and everything to lose.”
The ‘Cats responded to the challenge Friday and blew out Delaware with scoring throughout the game en route to an 11-0 win. Ohio got a much slower start Saturday, but managed to run away with the game late, beating Adrian 5-1. The Bobcats improved their record to 12-2-2 overall and have won all nine games at Bird Arena.
It was an offensive onslaught Friday, as Ohio scored four first-period goals and never let up. Diego Breckenridge got the evening started with his first goal of the season in his first home appearance. He later added an assist to be one of eight Bobcats with a multi-point game.
Logan Pfeffer notched five points on two goals and three assists while Harris strung together three points, all on assists. Patrick Spellacy also scored two goals for the Bobcats and defenseman Paul Sergi scored two points to continue his breakout offensive campaign.
The nation’s Goals Against Average leader Scott Boyd pitched another shutout for the Bobcats, totaling 15 saves in the win.
“It doesn’t matter who we play each weekend, we have to be ready for them,” Harris said. “We’re one of the best teams in the country going against D-II and D-III teams, we have nothing to gain from playing them. We just have to go out and prove what we’re made of, and I think we accomplished that.”
Ohio struggled to replicate that dominant performance Saturday, as it entered the third period with just a 2-1 lead over three time D-III champions Adrian College. Breslin opened the third period scoring with a long-range shot past the Adrian goalie to double the Bobcats’ lead.
Liam Geither and Michael Harris went back-to-back late in the period to give extra insurance and make the score look more lopsided than the game possibly deserved.
Goalie Ryan Heltion stopped 13 of Adrian’s 14 shots, while Ohio put up another intimidating total of 47 shots. The Bobcats outshot their opponents 110-29 on the weekend. Meanwhile, Harris claimed the top spot as the club’s leading scorer with 19 points on the season.
A frustrated coach Sean Hogan said after the game he was glad the week was finally over.
“(Saturday), I think we overlooked them,” he said. “They’re a quality opponent, and they stuck with us. I think we controlled the game 99% of the time, the shots on goal will tell you that. We’re better than the way we played though.”
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