After a five-week break from action, Ohio will return to the ice with its toughest road challenge to date.
There isn’t a single chance for an off-week in the second half of No. 3 Ohio’s schedule, with none of its six remaining opponents being ranked any lower than 13th in the American Collegiate Hockey Association.
They’ll begin that grueling six weeks with perhaps the toughest challenge of them all, a road battle against Central States Collegiate Hockey League rival No. 8 Lindenwood (10-8-2).
No. 3 Ohio (19-3-2) defeated Lindenwood 2-1 in overtime and 3-1 in its series at Bird Arena earlier this season. Lindenwood leads the CSCHL with 19 points, while Ohio is second in the division with 16 points.
“We have to get our feet moving and play real good hockey in order to beat a really good team on the road,” coach Sean Hogan said. “Our guys will definitely be ready to go.”
Lindenwood is the first opponent the Bobcats will face for the second time this season, and will be their final road CSCHL contest of the season. Ohio carries a six game winning streak against the Lions into this weekend.
Ohio also carries the number one scoring defense in the ACHA into this weekend. It’s road defense, however, has been significantly less dominant than the home defense. The Bobcats have allowed 18 goals in nine road games, compared with 11 goals in 15 home contests.
The final wall of the nation’s best defense is Aaron Alkema, who will likely sit in net for Ohio this weekend with his 1.44 goals against average in 13 starts, fourth best in the ACHA. He will battle with another strong goalie on the other side of the ice, as Lindenwood’s Michael Hails enters the weekend with a 2.39 GAA in eight games.
Leading the assault on Hails will be two heavyweights in Michael Harris and Joe Breslin, who enter the weekend with 30 and 27 points, respectively.
The team has used a majority of its video time during practice focusing on their previous series against the Lions earlier this season.
“We feel that if we really go hard putting pressure on them, they’re liable to turn the puck over,” Hogan said. “If we stay on top of them and we don’t sag back, they play right into our hands.”
One blessing of the extended break is allowing players to nurse minor injuries gradually to get back to 100% in the second half of the season, something that Ohio will benefit from in the next couple of weeks. The only Bobcat still on the bench with an injury is Vincent Nicollela, who underwent knee surgery over the break and will miss the remainder of the 2014-2015 season.
A sweep of Lindenwood in the coming nights would not only give Ohio a division lead, but would put it on the fast track to a CSCHL title. The Bobcats have played two less games in the division than the Lions, and will play the rest of their CSCHL schedule at home, where they have not lost a game this season.
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