Ohio is hoping to snap its four-game losing streak during its final home weekend of the season.
Ohio’s four-game home losing skid, paired with senior night ceremonies, will surely provide plenty of emotion for this weekend’s series against Illinois.
While senior defenseman Tyler Benson plays for Team USA at the World University Games, the Bobcats’ other five seniors — defensemen Paul Sergi and Mike Kretz, forwards Tom Whetsel and Nathan De La Torre and goalie Scott Boyd — will play their final games at Bird Arena this weekend.
“I think it’s finally settling in talking to my parents coming down this weekend for the senior weekend,” De La Torre said. “I think it’s finally starting to hit some of the seniors.
De La Torre admitted that the emotion of the ceremony will factor into his play, but he feels that it will help fuel his energy rather than serve as a distraction.
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“I’m not sure about the waterworks, but we’ll see,” he said with a laugh. “I think after the ceremony it’ll be game time and it’ll be time to lock in and focus on the weekend.”
Due in part to a lack of focus, the Bobcats (24-6-4) have dropped four straight games in the past two weeks in series against Robert Morris (IL) and Oklahoma.
Despite the team’s recent slide, which includes a disastrous 0-for-20 on the power play, Ohio is in a position to win the Central States Collegiate Hockey League regular season division title with a sweep of Illinois (20-14-1) this weekend.
A division title wouldn’t impact Ohio’s chances of qualifying for the national tournament, but it would put a firm stamp on its stellar season. The Bobcats have held a top-five ranking in the American Collegiate Hockey Association the past eight weeks.
“Everything we do out here is important, so every weekend is huge,” assistant coach Kyle Schussler said. “We take it one game at a time and obviously we want to get two wins this weekend.”
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In its previous matchup against Illinois, Ohio split a two game series on the Fighting Illini’s much larger ice surface. De La Torre recalled the series as being pretty intense and very “chippy.”
The physicality can only increase as the teams go from playing on one of the league’s largest surfaces to its smallest. Bird Arena’s tight confines will allow the Bobcats to play the way they want to – with aggression.
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“I think we were sick of (Illinois’ rink) by Saturday (of the previous series),” assistant coach David Nies said. “(Illinois isn’t) used to playing on such a small surface, so we definitely have to play physical right off the bat.”
Win or lose this weekend, divisional winners or not, Ohio has plenty of postseason play ahead of it. The importance Schussler placed on this weekend, however, is due to his belief in the importance of momentum and going into the playoffs on a high note.
“No one wants to lose the final three weekends of their college career,” De La Torre said. “I think it’s going to be an emotional game for seniors in their last games, but I think deep down inside we’re looking to get these final wins here to finish off the league championship.”
jh950614@ohio.edu
@JordanHorrobin
