Bird Arena was filled with Halloween spirit Friday, as fans came out in droves decked out in their best costumes to watch Ohio's second game of its series against Adrian.
The Bobcats avenged Thursday's loss with a 4-2 victory against the Bulldogs; they improved on both defense and offense.
"We were a little better at taking the transition away and our forwards were more responsible defensively," Ohio coach Lionel Mauron said. "One kind of lends to the other, but our defensive forecheck was really the key to the game."
Much of the first period was a slow battle on the ice, with both defenses able to move the puck off their side of the ice quickly. Ohio put Adrian goaltender Noah Decottignies to work with some close calls, but Adrian had a strong defensive strategy that kept Ohio from capitalizing on any of its attempts.
With about nine minutes left in the first period, Jack Glen broke through and smacked in Ohio's first goal of the night with an assist by freshman Laker Aldridge. The excitement didn't last long, as Adrian responded less than four minutes later, sneaking one by Ohio goaltender Justin Damon. Both teams went right back to battling after this, with no more goals in the first period.
The second period got off to a much different start. Aldridge blasted a goal into the net on the powerplay less than six minutes into the period, with his air guitar celebration being met with loud cheers. The Bobcat offense was strong, holding the puck near the Bulldogs' goal for much of the second period. With almost six minutes left, Blake Rossi shot the puck into the net from nearly halfway down the ice, expanding the Bobcats' lead to two.
The third period was essentially a repeat of the first, with little action and strong performances from both defenses. The Bobcats had a tight grasp on their lead and were unwilling to let it go, tightening up their defensive strategy compared to the other two periods.
However, with just over a minute left in the period, Ohio allowed another Adrian goal. Ohio didn't let that stop it. Aldridge lobbed one into a completely open Adrian goal.
Ohio will be taking on West Virginia at home next weekend, hoping to bring back its trend of sweeping the series.
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