Going into the 2024-25 season, there were a lot of unknowns surrounding the state of Ohio Hockey. Last season, the Bobcats saw a run to the ACHA M1 Semifinals under former head coach Lionel Mauron. The season would end in a disappointing 3-1 loss to the eventual champions, the Adrian College Bulldogs.
Mauron would leave Ohio for an assistant coaching position at Miami (OH)’s NCAA program. Ohio found its new head coach, Barry Schutte, in Oxford, trading his High Street bricks for the bricks of Court Street. If falling just shy of a championship and a head coaching vacancy weren’t enough, the Bobcats had another problem: Bird Ice Arena was not in usable condition for games or practice to start the year.
The Bobcats, however, were quick to adapt by holding practices in Columbus and Charleston, West Virginia, playing only road games until the ice at Bird would be ready. That date was pushed back further and further while the maintenance lingered on.
Most would suspect that all of these setbacks would at least rattle the Bobcats enough to cause a slow start to the season, but the start was anything but slow. Ohio began its season 4-0 with a series at Kent State and at Maryville.
The Bobcats secured what has seemingly been their signature win of the season in a semifinal rematch with top-ranked Adrian. This 3-1 upset would be the beginning of five-straight road wins before a nearly two-month break from games due to the construction at Bird Arena.
The Bobcats finally returned to Bird just in time for the start of the second semester. The homecoming would be cut short, though, as Ohio split its series with Pittsburgh.
Despite this, Ohio finds itself ranked fourth in the ACHA M1 rankings. This is a slight drop from its peak at No. 1 during their lengthy hiatus from games.
Now that about half the season is in the rearview, let’s check in on where the Bobcats are at as a team.
What’s been working?
The Bobcats, now 12-3, have significantly benefited from their aggressive offense. Dominating possession of the puck and getting up early has been a common theme for Ohio. This puck movement has allowed for five different skaters to rack up over 10 points in just 15 games so far this season.
Although the offense has put the Bobcats up, their rotation of goaltenders has kept them there. Garrett Alderman has been the go-to guy in the net, playing many of the team’s more significant matchups and going 5-1 in seven games played. The other two goalies, Max Karlenzig and Scott Bird, have been able to cover for Alderman some nights but have not seen the same type of usage. Alderman leads with time in the net at 377 minutes, while Bird and Karlenzig lag behind at 290 and 271.
What’s to come?
After being forced into the role of road warriors to open the season, the Bobcats will play five straight home series. Bird is back to business as usual, with sellout crowds welcoming Ohio’s return. The Bobcats will face multiple tests at home, including series against Niagara, Liberty and Minot State, all of which are currently ranked within the ACHA M1 top 10.
Luckily for the Bobcats, two of their top scorers, Noah Holt and Drake Nabozny, will soon return from the Winter World University Games, where they will represent Team USA. Should they be one of the 20 qualifying playoff teams at the end of the regular season, Ohio will look to make a run at a national championship.
Career milestones, awards and honors
Ohio Hockey celebrated a lot so far this season despite not having a home for most of it. Multiple players have already hit career numbers through 15 games played. Here are just a few:
100 Games Played - Spencer Schons, Collin Felton.
100 Career Points - Laker Aldridge.
Winter World Games Team USA - Noah Holt, Drake Nabozny.
