In hockey, being on the penalty kill is almost always a bad thing. The team on the kill is playing with one less man on the ice, and it makes it way more difficult to defend against the other team moving down the ice into scoring position.
However, being on the penalty kill might benefit the Bobcats. Ohio has won nine of its last 10 games, and in seven of those nine games, Ohio has garnered more or the same amount of penalty minutes as its opponent.
It would still be ideal for the Bobcats to avoid racking up too many penalty minutes, as playing on the kill does still technically mean they have a disadvantage. However, the way they play on the kill is overall advantageous to them as a team. Garrett Alderman, the Bobcats goaltender who helped earn them a shutout Jan. 20 against Toledo discussed his perspective on the kill as a goaltender.
“The kill was amazing … (Toledo’s) power play had maybe two shots on goal the entire game, and even yesterday, too, our kill was doing a really good job. I’m really proud of those guys ” said Alderman.
Ohio is impressive playing on the kill, and the pressure it faces trying to keep a goal from going in potentially leads to more scoring opportunities for the team. Ohio plays harder on the kill — and as noted by Alderman — keeps the other team from getting scoring opportunities. The passion the Bobcats play with on the kill could potentially correlate with victory, showing that they don’t crack under pressure, they thrive.
Managing Editor
