With the Panthers spoiling the Bobcats’ initial return to Bird Ice Arena with a 5-3 Friday loss, Ohio looked to get things back on track Saturday on its home ice. With an aggressive offensive plan and tough defense late in the game, the Bobcats beat the Panthers 3-1.
The fans kept the energy in the arena high throughout the matchup, showing their Bobcats love in person at Bird for the first time this season.
This was Ohio’s first weekend of hockey since Nov. 9 against Liberty, so shaking off the rust was a definite concern going into the game.
The Bobcats came out aggressive to open the first period, nearly netting a goal just over 1 minute into the game. Their dominant possession of the puck continued to give them the edge offensively, but they couldn’t find a way past Panthers’ goaltender Grant Lindsay.
Ohio pressured Lindsay with lengthy shifts from lines and strong drives to the goal. Pittsburgh showed some increased intensity late in the period, but goaltender Garrett Alderman kept his net clean with some help from his defenseman.
The Panthers looked re-energized, taking the ice for the second period, finding multiple scoring opportunities and testing Alderman’s glove. Ohio clearly felt bolstered midway through the period as pressure built up on Lindsay. Laker Aldridge broke the barrier as he and Will Cohen connected on a two-on-one opportunity.
The Bobcats struck again just minutes later as they made the most of a delayed penalty by pulling Alderman and setting up the impromptu power play. Nolan Abraham, Mathieu Ovaert and Graham Broadfoot overwhelmed the Panthers, with Broadfoot securing the 2-0 lead.
Pitt attempted to battle back and received a strong opportunity, with John Glen going to the box for tripping late in the period. The Bobcats also saw a power play of their own, but the period closed with the Bobcats leading 2-0.
Despite its 2-0 lead, Ohio continued to threaten to score and played physically in the third period. The Bobcats had to make a strategic shift, as their penalty kill was tested after receiving a penalty for too many men on the ice. This led to a 4v4 on the ice after a Pitt skater hit the bench as well. Andreas Forand made the most of this opportunity, pushing the puck over Alderman’s left shoulder to cut it to 2-1.
The Bobcats wouldn’t let this mistake bring them down for long, though, as they got back on the attack. Ovaert picked up a second assist as he found Barron Stibbe to retake the two-point lead.
From there, the Bobcats played smothering, hard-nosed defense to stay ahead 3-1. The Panthers tested them with intense, physical play, but the Bobcats were up to the challenge. Time was on the side of Ohio as the clock expired, and the Bobcat faithful erupted in cheers at Bird Arena for the first time this season.
Bird Arena will continue to be home to the Bobcats next weekend when the West Virginia Mountaineers come to Athens.
