No. 6 Ohio will face its first unranked opponent since November when it travels to Bensenville, Illinois, to face league rival Robert Morris-Illinois.
The Bobcats have already faced the Eagles once this season, so they have a clear plan on how to handle this series. Coach Cole Bell doesn’t think a radical shift in focus is necessary.
“A lot of what we do is focused on us,” Bell said. “We have our identity and we don’t change that. We find a way to make it work against who we face.”
While Robert Morris isn’t ranked, Bell has told his team to focus on staying in the game. He wants to prevent overconfidence which has caused Ohio to lose the lead in the past.
“It’s a conference game and we want to continue to have hot starts,” Bell said. “I know our record on Fridays is not very good. That’s what we want to focus on this week.”
Game information
Opponent: Robert Morris-Illinois
Puck drop: 8:30 p.m.
Venue: The Edge Ice Arena, Bensenville, Illinois
How to watch: Bobcat Productions presents Ohio Hockey
Meet the Opponent
Top point scorers
No. 22 Scott Coash (28 goals, 14 assists)
No. 10 Michael Cacciato (13 goals, 28 assists)
No. 27 Dominick Manochio (1 goal, 24 assists)
Goalie play
No. 29 Chris Mallon (5-11, .917 save percentage, 3.45 goals against average )
No. 32 Nicholas Kotz (2-0, .899 save percentage, 3.50 goals against average)
No. 30 Darryll Smith (3-4, .858 save percentage, 4.71 goals against average)
Penalty minutes
No. 17 Tony Dahlberg (62)
No. 19 Giuseppe Molfetta (51)
No. 11 Dylan Holt (40)
Last matchup
The Bobcats swept the Eagles in their previous matchup in October. Ohio won Friday after a six-round shootout that ended thanks to a goal by Jake Houston. Saturday was a 3-0 victory for the Bobcats and marked Jimmy Thomas’ 17th career shutout.
Injury Report
Andrew Wells is still recovering from a shoulder injury and will miss the series against Robert Morris. It is possible he will return to practice next week.
Zach Curry may return to the ice for practice by the end of February. He is currently in physical therapy after his hernia surgery over winter break.
Jackson Chilberg is still out with a concussion.
Koster and a new backup
Perennial starting goalie Jimmy Thomas is still under suspension for one more game, so junior Mason Koster will continue as the starter on Friday night. Thomas will return for Saturday’s game.
While not having seen as much ice time as Thomas this season, Koster has proven his mettle. In Ohio’s previous series against Lindenwood, Koster made 47 saves and held the Lions to only two goals during game two.
With Chilberg still out of commission, the Bobcats were left with only one goalie for Friday. To give Koster a support net, Sean Hare was called up from the Division II hockey team as the interim backup.
