COLUMBUS — Patrick Spellacy streaked toward the net with the puck, looking right to pass to one of his new linemates. When the goalie followed his gaze, Spellacy flung a low wrister into the net.
It was one of two goals from Spellacy, and with the work of his recently assembled line, No. 3 Ohio pushed past No. 2 Adrian on Monday with a 4-2 win in the American Collegiate Hockey Association National Tournament semifinals at the OhioHealth Ice Haus.
The Bobcats will play in the national championship for the first time since the time they won the title in 2004. They’ll face Central Oklahoma at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
Spellacy opened the scoring in the second period when a shot from Gianni Evangelisti deflected off his behind for a shorthanded goal. Then, just 29 seconds into the third, Spellacy scored again.
Liam Geither scored on a wrist shot seven and a half minutes later for the eventual game winner.
With its season winding down, Ohio found itself in a minor goal slump, scoring just four times in three games. So ahead of the national tournament, the coaching staff juggled its lines and put senior forwards Spellacy and Geither with freshman Evangelisti.
Spellacy, Geither and Evangelisti had played on separate lines nearly the entire season, but they had two weeks before nationals to mend. The second week is when everything clicked, Evangelisti said.
And through three tournament games, they look like a unit that has been together quite a bit longer than half a month. They’ve scored eight goals, including three Monday.
Spellacy’s size, combined with Evangelisti and Geither’s speed, has been lethal. And the three forwards do have some prior chemistry.
Geither played three years with Spellacy in high school at St. Ignatius in Cleveland. Evangelisti played only briefly with Spellacy when four of their teammates left for Kazakhstan to play in the World University Games.
“But you know, (Gianni) is good enough to play with everybody,” Spellacy said. “It fit seamlessly.”
Spellacy and Evangelisti together has worked exceptionally well on the penalty kill, too. They’ve combined for a shorthanded goal in back-to-back games.
“When they have space, they’re dangerous,” Ohio coach Sean Hogan said.
After playing with fellow freshmen Tyler Harkins and Garrett Jenkins most of the season, as well as junior Mike Palasics, Evangelisti is in a new situation: surrounded by senior leadership.
“They’re older guys,” Evangelisti, sporting three weeks of mostly blond whiskers on his face, said of Spellacy and Geither. “They understand what to do, where to go, all that stuff. They’ve been here before.”
Somewhere Spellacy and Geither, or any Bobcat for that matter, have never been is the ACHA National Championship game. But their experience in previous national tournaments will still help younger players handle the emotions of the big game.
Spellacy, for example, has already dealt with his own minor adversity. He broke his stick, the only one he had, in the first period. All he did after that was score twice with the backup stick of defenseman Reilly Moore.
“He’s playing great,” Hogan said. He laughed as he added, “We gotta get him some more sticks.”
Spellacy said he’s going to use Moore’s stick in the championship and “see what happens.” For him and his line, it probably doesn’t matter what they use.
