In a game where every inch makes a difference, goalie Jimmy Thomas is Ohio’s measuring tape. The junior has been stout all season long, but perhaps his best effort of the 2018-19 season happened against Syracuse this past weekend.
In a series where Ohio – on paper – was the better team, it played otherwise. In Friday’s 6-3 win, the Bobcats showed signs of mental lapses, uncharacteristic of themselves. The one position in tune and checked?
The goalie.
Despite letting in three goals, Thomas was peppered with shots on goal and at one point during the game, Syracuse outshot Ohio by a wide margin.
“Being the last line of defense if I make a mistake obviously the other team scores,” Thomas said. “But I think I have a team strong enough this year, they always pick me up.”
Thomas called the Syracuse weekend a “turning point” for the team. Ohio’s been working itself out of a funk. After having a month off and more cancellations than games, it’s been difficult for the Bobcats to establish a rhythm for themselves the way they had one going prior to the winter break.
But after its sweep over Syracuse, Thomas thinks that Ohio is back on track.
“I thought they (Syracuse) were a really good team this weekend,” he said. “We needed this weekend, we needed a big sweep. It was at home, it was Sibs’ Weekend, we had a big crowd and it got everyone back to buying in.”
With momentum on their side, the Bobcats looked and played like they did earlier in the season in Saturday’s 4-0 win.
Thomas earned his fourth shutout of the season after he saved a measly 18 shots on goal. The offense scored just under its 5.13 goals per game average, but the goals it did score, it scored by running its systems – not just on talent alone.
If the Bobcats are going to right the ship and the finish the season strong, last weekend was a good start.
“You only peak once a season and we’re going to use this (past) weekend as our uphill for the rest of the year,” Thomas said. “As long as you’re trending up in the last half of the season, that’s where you want to be.”
Ohio’s uphill climb is a steep one at that. It still has two Central States Collegiate Hockey League series left at No. 12 Illinois and at home against No. 4 Iowa State. With those two teams left on the schedule plus a home series against Kent State, the Bobcats have the opportunity they want right in front of them. The question is will they make the most of it.
“I think we’ve finally gotten back into a rhythm and the swing of things,” Thomas said. “Which you need to have here coming down the home stretch.”
The home stretch for Ohio will be a tough one, but it will also be one that defines its season, its postseason and whatever lies ahead for the next year.
