Hoping to shake off a several split weekends and overtime losses, Ohio (17-5) will face tough competition this weekend against Minot (31-2-1). However, the Bobcats’ games this weekend are their last ones in Athens for the 2024-25 season, giving the series against the rival Beavers an emotional edge.
Here is what to expect from Ohio and Minot in the series.
Series information
Opponent: Minot
Times: Saturday at 2:30 p.m., Sunday at 7 p.m.
Location: Bird Ice Arena (Athens)
History
The Bobcats have already faced the Beavers this season, splitting the mid-October series. In those matches, Ohio took an overtime 2-1 win before losing 4-2 the next day to an emboldened Minot offense.
Ohio notes
Ohio has played a tough season and taken several hard-earned victories. The first time the team played in Bird Arena this season was just over a month ago and the recent stretch of games on home turf has proved Ohio still has the grit needed to win.
Recently, however, Ohio has lost several matches against rival teams with worse records than Minot’s. The shootout loss to Niagara Feb. 1 and the overtime loss to Liberty on Saturday revealed some cracks in the Bobcats’ triumphant return to home ice. With the first of their series falling on senior day, the Bobcats should hopefully have enough tenacity to break through a near-unstoppable Beaver defense.
Minot notes
Minot is one of the best teams in the American College Hockey Association right now. The current roster of Beavers has led the team to a staggering 32 wins, only having lost two games in total.
Although Ohio is one of the teams that can claim to have beaten Minot, the upcoming series will still be an uphill battle. The Beavers frequently outscore their opponents by upward of five goals and are currently blazing on a multi-week winning streak.
Player to watch: Scott Bird (Ohio, No. 30)
In the series split against Liberty last weekend, goaltender Scott Bird played extremely well. He fended off a Liberty offense that, like Minot, outscores its opponents by high margins. If Bird can keep up the performances he has had in the goal so far, Ohio stands a better chance of stopping the titan that is Minot.
