Ohio is heading to the quarterfinals.
The Bobcats pulled off a major upset Friday, defeating No. 2 Minot State 3-2 in the second round of the American Collegiate Hockey Association tournament. Before Friday, Minot State had only lost two games this season. The Bobcats knew they needed to play a near flawless game in order to beat the Beavers, and that’s just what they did.
Here are the numbers to know from Ohio’s win against Minot State:
22
The Bobcats only had 22 shots on goal Friday. This is a low number of shots for the Bobcats. However, the quality of the shots is more important than the quantity. This philosophy has been working for them in the ACHA tournament so far. In Thursday’s win vs. Niagara, a quarter of the Bobcats' shots were goals. They had seven goals on 28 shots on goal Thursday.
7
Forward John McLaughlin scored Ohio’s first goal Friday, totaling his seventh goal this season. McLaughlin has played in 26 of Ohio’s 35 games and has become an important offensive tool recently. He only had one goal in his first 14 games but has scored five goals since Jan. 14. When Ohio needs him, McLaughlin delivers.
93
Another Bobcat who stepped up when he was needed was Matt Server. Server saved 31 of Minot’s 33 shots Friday for a save percentage of 93%. In the absence of Max Karlenzig, who started in the net for most of the season, Server has been Ohio’s go-to guy. He made it clear why Ohio coach Lionel Mauron keeps putting him in the net by holding Minot State to only two goals, one of its lowest number of goals in a game this season.
10
Ohio no longer looks like the team that lost 10 of its last 11 regular season games this year. In the first two games of the ACHA tournament, it has looked like a brand new team. Ohio has been able to turn a new page at a crucial time. A national championship is incredibly important to Ohio, and now, it is only three games away from its goal.
