Bird Arena has long felt the thumping steps of fans on its seats, welcoming visitors from all 50 states and across international waters for almost seven decades. Since its construction in 1957, a myriad of strong teams have skated across Bird’s ice and called it home. However, in a season unlike any other in recent memory for the arena and its plethora of teams, one thing is for sure: Bird has never seen an Ohio hockey team like this season’s.
The Bobcats (12-3) easily swept the Mountaineers (10-11) in their two games Friday and Saturday. Saturday’s outing was particularly dominant, as the Bobcats shut out West Virginia completely with a 9-0 victory. In front of a sea of bundled-up green sweatshirts and Ohio logos, the Bobcats made it clear their time away from home would not hinder their gameplay.
“They had to learn how to be resilient. They had to,” Ohio coach Barry Schutte said. “I think our focus was, don't get too high, don't get too low. Control the controllables. And a lot of stuff was out of our control in the fall.”
With the 9-0 shutout Saturday, it was evident every lineup of Bobcats on the ice was working hard to not only maintain a lead but to squash any chance of hope for the Mountaineers. With an oppressive 53 shots on goal, standout players such as Drake Albers, Luc Reeve and Mathieu Ovaert stepped up to make sure Ohio had the final word.
Saturday’s game against West Virginia was not just a lucky fluke; Ohio has a strong record with a season of wins under its belt, despite not playing at home once until its Jan. 10 matchup against Pitt.
With Bird finally opening its doors for both games and practice, Ohio is set to keep building its skills and tightening up in places it couldn’t with limited time for improvement.
“I think our entire team is going to just evolve a lot, mainly just because we're going to be skating every day instead of skating twice a week,” Reeve said. “Twice a week in Columbus, West Virginia, totally crazy places … a two-hour and a half drive for 7 a.m. practice. I think just taking that stress off of us and having more ability to be on the ice here has definitely improved us a lot.”
There is no doubt the Bobcats would have performed to the best of their ability against the Mountaineers if they were on unfamiliar ice, and even less doubt they would have done well without a huge crowd. However, one of Ohio’s most consistently successful teams was given a huge turnout for its second series in Athens, and it capitalized on the energy.
“Today, I think by 12, 1 o'clock, it was sold out,” Schutte said. “So they knew it all afternoon that it was going to be electric tonight. And I think (the win is) definitely attributed to it, because they take a lot of pride in that. They know they're representing not just themselves, but the entire institution and the student body. And they take that, they take that seriously, that responsibility.”
