Ohio defeated rival Liberty in a 5-2 physical matchup to open the second of three series this season. Liberty came to Athens looking for some getback after the Bobcats swept the Flames in Lynchburg in early November. Though Ohio came into the game after a 7-6 loss to Niagara, and Liberty came in on a four-game heater, Coach Berry Schutte wasn’t stressed.
“They're all big games, but when you play top 10 teams, like last week and this week, they're important because you want to represent in an awesome way,” Schutte said. “My message to them was, we can lay our head down on the pillow at night if we put our best game out there. So let's focus on that.”
The hard feelings were still prominent as both teams came out very physical. After exchanging blows for a while, the Ohio offense seemed to find some momentum about five minutes in.
Liberty would come back with some strong offensive possessions of their own. One of which nearly netted a goal as the puck struck Scott Bird in the chest and dropped right in front of the goal. Luckily for Bird and the Bobcats, though, TJ Richey was able to clear the puck out to keep things scoreless.
Following the Flames’ almost goal, the Bobcats took over once again. This time, Mathieu Ovaert found Nolan Abraham to put Ohio ahead with his seventh goal of the season.
Ohio would enter the second period with 1:13 remaining on their power play, but errant passes rendered it useless. It wouldn’t take long for the Bobcats to get back on the power play prowl, but they once again fell to the Flames’ PK.
Spencer Schons would be called for tripping, giving Liberty their first power play of the night. They were able to overwhelm Bird and the Bobcats as Hayden DeMars tied things up at one-a-piece.
Following a strong defensive stand with just under three minutes remaining in the period, Schons was able to find Ovaert with a lengthy pass. Ovaert made the most of his one-on-one fast break, pushing the puck past Konrad Kausch to take the 2-1 lead.
The Flames didn’t die down at all from there, as they continued to apply pressure to Bird and the Bobcat defense. They would break through just before the end of the period as Kaebel shot the puck just over Bird’s right shoulder to tie things up.
The third period was filled with uncertainty as it was truly still anyone’s game early. Things would start to sway in the direction of the Bobcats when Barron Stibbe found Colin Felton for the one-timer goal to take a 3-2 lead.
The physical nature of the rivalry continued to be put on display in the third as Noah Holt was on the receiving end of a big hit with just over ten minutes left. Holt was slow to get up, but his team would be rewarded a power play for his troubles.
Unable to best the Liberty PK, Ohio found themselves back on the defensive side of things as the Flames fought to get back in the game. The Flames tried to best Bird multiple times, but no matter what they did, the puck seemed to always find his glove.
Late in the game, Bird made another strong save as a cloud of ice covered him. This turned into a spout as Liberty’s Brad Barker and Ohio’s Gavin Keller went to the penalty box for fighting. The 4v4 hockey didn’t last long, as Holt joined his teammate on the pine after being caught slashing.
Ohio continued to be physical even with only three skaters, and that physicality soon brought them back to full strength.
With just under two minutes remaining, Liberty called a timeout and decided to pull their goalie. This was almost instantly exploited by the Bobcats when following a faceoff, Ovaert sealed things with the empty netter.
Kausch would return to the net following the goal, but his night was not yet over. Abraham was able to expand the Ohio lead with seconds remaining, making it a 5-3 victory for the Bobcats.
