Correction appended.
Ohio’s Saturday game against Illinois was suspended after a malfunctioning OLYMPIA damaged the ice at Bird Arena during the second intermission. After a lengthy delay, in which arena staff, players and officials attempted to repair the ice, the rink was declared unsafe for play, and the game was stopped.
There is a possibility of the game being continued at a later date. Ohio may have a chance to continue the game from where it left off when it travels to face Illinois on Feb. 18.
If the game were to be continued, the Bobcats will trail 4-1 when the game resumes.
Illinois scored just 57 seconds into the game to take a 1-0 lead, and it then proceeded to tack on two more goals in just 10 minutes. Ohio scored late in the first period to avoid a potential shutout, but a power play goal scored by Illinois in the second period kept Ohio in a three-goal deficit.
Despite the deficit, Ohio coach Lionel Mauron was confident that his team would’ve remained competitive had the game continued.
“I thought we played a really good game,” Mauron said. “Obviously we have to end it here, after two periods, but I really believe that we could have come back.”
Ohio might be given the opportunity to come back, but it will have to wait for four months if the game is allowed to be continued. In the meantime, Ohio must prepare for the meat of its schedule. It faces three opponents in the next two weeks, including No. 4 Adrian.
It’s not the ending they expected, but Mauron believes the Bobcats’ upcoming schedule is their biggest priority after Saturday.
“It’s really tough to end games like this, but we have a couple of days to turn the page,” Mauron said. “Right now we’re kind of in shock.”
Correction: A previous version of this article stated that the ice resurfacer at Bird Arena is a Zamboni, when it’s an OLYMPIA. This article has been updated to reflect the most accurate information.
