Ohio will travel to Lynchburg, Virginia to play Liberty this weekend.
Ohio occasionally ends its practices with a do-or-die shootout as a fun way to end 90 minutes of work.
Up first in Wednesday’s shootout, head coach Sean Hogan.
He skated straight at goalie Ryan Heltion before flicking a wrist shot into the top left corner, which drew booming cheers from his players. Hogan claimed it was his first goal of the season.
“I let him score,” Heltion said jokingly.
In the past two weeks, the No. 9 Bobcats have won just one in four games and dipped eight spots in the American Collegiate Hockey Association national rankings.
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But the team, looking to bounce back on the road at No. 12 Liberty this weekend in Virginia, is as loose as its been all year in hopes of finding its top form again.
Ohio heads to the crown jewel of the ACHA
If Bird Arena is a run-down motel room, the LaHaye Ice Center is a penthouse suite.
LaHaye, Liberty’s home rink, recently re-opened after an eight-month renovation. The arena is nearly 89,000 square feet larger, has 10 private suites that have already sold out for the season and features a four-sided Jumbotron above center ice.
“I’ve never played on a sheet of ice where there was a working Jumbotron,” Heltion said. “Where I can watch (the game).”
Hogan said he expects a big crowd and an "excellent" atmosphere for the series in Lynchburg, Virginia.
“Our guys are excited about it,” Hogan said. “I think it’ll be a ton of fun for us. We just have to make sure that we focus on the right stuff though.”
A test of strength and wits
In its recent skid, the Bobcats haven’t needed any assistance taking bad penalties.
But the Flames, who Hogan described as “ultra-physical”, have three players who are averaging more than five penalty minutes per game and might look to provoke the Bobcats.
Untimely and undisciplined penalties led to two powerplay goals for Illinois against Ohio last weekend, and Hogan identified that it needs to stop.
“When (Liberty has) big hits, it’s going to be loud,” Hogan said. “So, we just can’t take any retaliation penalties. We’ve got to be smart about that.”
@JordanHorrobin
jh950614@ohio.edu
