Ohio hockey is back for a new semester, starting with a split weekend against Pittsburgh at Alpha Ice Complex in Pennsylvania. Separated by a single goal, the Bobcats lost 7-6 on Friday night but found redemption on Saturday, taking the win 7-4.
Here is everything you need to know from the weekend games:
Friday
It was clear from puck drop that the Bobcats were still trying to find their footing after a few weeks of break. Despite the abundance of goals, the Bobcats lacked cohesion. Nonetheless, multiple players stepped up individually to keep up with the Panthers, only trailing behind them by one throughout much of the game.
The night's first goal went to Oldrich Virag, giving Pitt the 1-0 lead with 7:26 left in the first period. To tie it up, Ohio forward Jack Glen responded with a goal with 2:33 left in the first period. The Bobcats left the first 20 minutes tied at 1-1.
Pitt's Andreas Forand initiated the back-and-forth goals of the second period at 7:17, followed by a goal from Laker Aldridge at 9:09. Edward Pazo gave Pitt the lead at 14:10, but was quickly answered by Mathieu Ovaert at 15:05. Pitt followed with a goal from Ian Keller at 17:30. A goal from Ohio defenseman Sam Turner tied the game at 3-3, but Colby Bilski gave Pitt the 4-3 lead with 37 seconds left in the second period.
Ohio forward Noah Holt scored his first goal of the game 3:51 into the third period, tying the game up at 4-4. At 7:53, Virag scored his second goal, followed by another Pitt goal, this time from Brendan Johns at 8:23. With 48.5 seconds left in the game, Holt scored the final goal, ending with a 7-6 win from Pitt.
Saturday
The energy and focus on the ice was elevated on Saturday night, and that was clear from every aspect of the game. The Bobcats ended the night with 43 shots on goal, winning 7-4 after being tied up with the Panthers after the first and second periods.
Pitt's Ben Oslick scored the first goal 4:57 into the first period. He was followed by Bilski at 13:53, bringing the score to 2-0 for Pitt. At 15:18, Ohio forward Luc Reeve found a break in the action and scored the first Bobcat goal of the night. With 40 seconds left in the period, Ohio forward Will Cohen scored, tying the game at 2-2 at the end of the first period.
The second period panned out very similarly to the first. Two Pitt goals from Keller and Pazo within the first 10 minutes brought the score up to 4-2, with Pitt in the lead for the first half of the period. Aldridge found redemption at 18:42, followed by a goal from Ohio Forward Drake Albers with only 6 seconds left in the period, ending the period, again, in a tie.
Starting the third period at 4-4, the Bobcats and the Panthers were tied up well into the last 20 minutes of the game. At 13:31, Reeve scored a powerplay goal, pushing the Bobcats one ahead at 5-4. Three minutes later, Reeve found another chance, securing Ohio's win and his third goal of the night. In the last 30 seconds of the game, Holt finalized it with the last goal of the night, ending it with the Bobcats victorious by a score of 7-4.
