Ohio's 2018 tryouts wrapped up Wednesday at Bird Arena, where many hopeful skaters gave their last efforts in hopes of making the Division I team.
The two-hour session was broken up into two 45-minute scrimmages between four teams: Team Red, Team Orange, Team Yellow and Team Green.
Returning players from both the Division I and II teams, as well as walk-ons, comprised the rosters.
Here are The Post’s observations.
Speed dominated championship game:
In the “championship” game between Team Red and Team Green, it was a who’s-who event for a tryout game. Returning forwards Tyler Harkins, Gianni Evangelisti and Gabe Lampron (Team Green) faced off against forwards Bryan Lubin, Timmy Thurnau and Kyle Craddick (Team Red).
A flashy display of offense ensued as Evangelisti and Harkins put Team Green up 3-0 early in the 45-minute scrimmage.
Building a large lead, Team Red scored an unanswered five goals, two of which were scored by walk-on Nick Carretta, and held its two-goal lead until the final five minutes.
With competitive spirit high, the 5-5 tie was unsettling to many of the skaters, as cheers and echoes of “overtime” and “let’s do a shootout” hovered in the air.
The Bobcats’ final roster piece:
The purpose of the tryouts was for coach Sean Hogan to find the last key ingredient to this season's roster.
Of the dozens of skaters who tried to making a lasting impression, only one did enough to land a spot on the Division I roster.
Sophomore defenseman Travis Studzinski will round out Ohio’s defensive unit for this coming season.
“He was very steady,” Hogan said. “He blocked shots, he understood the defensive side of the game and he didn’t try to do too much on offense. He was a defensive defenseman, and that’s what we need.”
Coach’s comments:
With the tryout portion of the preseason behind him, Hogan looks forward to the challenge of what will be a very long season.
“The first couple (of) weeks of school are long days and long grinds,” he said. “Our season officially starts tomorrow and doesn’t end until the end of March. It’s a long season, but we’re going to get on that horse tomorrow.”
Attendance:
All of Ohio’s Division I returning players skated in Wednesday’s tryout, as did former captain Jake Faiella.
What’s next:
The first official practice of the season will be Thursday from 3-5 p.m. Ohio's first games are Sept. 28-29 when it hosts John Carroll.
