Ohio was back for more in Bird Arena Saturday night, taking on West Virginia in the final game of the weekend series. Ohio faced some of the same offensive struggles that it had on Friday but overall were able to pull through with a 5-1 victory and series sweep. Head Coach Lionel Mauron acknowledged that there was some improvement in terms of moving the puck down the ice.
“It was a little better,” Mauron said. "We looked a little faster and we made more plays, but we still have a long way to go.”
The first period was relatively uneventful, with a defensive stalemate taking up a majority of the time. However, with just over a minute left, Ohio broke through with a goal by Laker Aldridge, who has been a fiery presence for the team since his rookie season last year. Lucas Renzoni followed that right up with a goal of his own less than 40 seconds later.
The shutout did not last long, as West Virginia put one up on the board just about 3 minutes into the second period. Despite racking up some penalty minutes, the Bobcats were able to hold the Mountaineers to a singular goal. Mauron believes Ohio could learn to use its physicality more effectively.
“I think a lot of penalties that we took were after the play,” Mauron said. "I think we need to eliminate those and up our intensity to give us the chance to initiate some action.”
In a similar fashion to Friday night, the Bobcats had a burst of energy in the third period. Matheiu Ovaert, a recruit out of Switzerland, got the action started with an early goal. Hollander Thompson brought the score to 4-1 with a goal of his own, and Noah Holt finished the night out with his second goal of the weekend. Holt gave credit to the fans once again for his impressive performance.
“The fans were crazy again tonight,” Holt said. "When we’re up 2-1 they are the ones picking us back up and getting us in the game. We owe it all to them.”
Despite starting the regular season with two victories, Mauron still believes there is room for improvement overall.
“I would like for us to become a team,“ Mauron said. "I think right now it’s a lot of one player to the other … but it’s early in the year.”
Overall, Mauron is hopeful about Ohio’s ability to continue to improve and become a more cohesive unit.
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