With the weather dropping in Athens and the fall sports season in full swing, the timing is perfect for the return of an Ohio University favorite, Division II hockey.
The DII team has already made waves this season after finishing the 2023-24 season 18-5. The team currently stands with an impressive 5-0 record and has been stellar in scoring across the board.
Returning players for the team include center Salvatore Poggiali and forwards Nikalas Jozefiak and Peyton Botich, who have contributed to 13 of Ohio’s goals so far. Also returning for the Bobcats are winger Nic Capuzzi and forward Nick Ventura, who have had outstanding performances so far this season and contributed to several of the team’s wins the last two seasons.
While the team is full of upperclassmen, the underclassmen have already proven to be essential to the team, including freshman Quintin Filizetti. The defenseman has put up three goals this season for Ohio, previously playing for the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Knights, where he scored seven goals in the 2023-24 season.
Ohio opened the season against Denison Sept. 13 with goals from Jozefiak, Peyton Botich, Xander Danner, Ethan Tamborski and Filizetti, shutting out the Big Red Buzzards 7-0.
In the team’s second game, the Bobcats headed to West Virginia to take on the Mountaineers. The game opened with goals from Owen Toole, Josh Folmer and Nolan Herubin. The Bobcats went up again in the second period after Poggiali and Nick Ventura put two more points on the board. Capuzzi and Filizetti rounded out the game, scoring two more times each for the win 8-4 over the Mountaineers.
In the third game, Ohio traveled to Indiana for a two-game series. Things were off to a slow start before Jozefiak was able to put one away with an assist from Filizetti in the first period, Jozefiak finishing with a hat trick. Poggiali and Jozefiak helped each other out in the second, each scoring a goal, with Poggiali assisting Jozefiak on his. The Bobcats put the game away in the third 7-3 with goals from Luke Frost, Jozefiak, Scanlon and Nick Coward.
The second game of the series opened with Trent Johnson and Poggiali scoring to give the Bobcats a 2-0 lead, which they held onto during the second period, where the Mountaineers managed to put 1 point on the board. In the third period, Poggiali scored, taking the Bobcats up 3-2 before the Mountaineers put one more in to tie the game and take it to overtime. Scanlon wrapped it up for the team, allowing the Bobcats to take their fourth win of the season.
The team’s fifth straight win of the season was against Dayton, where Poggiali scored the first goal of the game, his fifth of the season. The Bobcats were 1-0 heading into the second period and scored again at the start of the third. Peyton Botich and Poggiali rounded out the 5-1 win with three more goals against the Flyers.
The Bobcats were set to start their home play Friday; however, the game was postponed due to maintenance work on the Bird Ice Arena facility. The team’s next game is scheduled for Oct. 3 and will be played in Bird Arena, permitting the completion of the maintenance work. Ohio will take on Denison in the team’s second meeting of the season.
Looking forward, the team’s 2024-25 season schedule is full of exciting matchups, including series against Michigan Oct. 18 and 19 and Penn State Nov. 15 and 16. The team will end their regular season play against Miami Feb. 6 and 7 with another two-series game.
As the excitement continues to grow for Ohio’s return to Bird Arena, the team is ready to use its momentum from the start of the season to set itself up in a good spot for the ACHA Division II playoffs.
