The Bobcats are looking to bounce back during their first road trip of the season after dropping a pair of games by one goal this past weekend against Liberty.
Ohio (2-2-1, 6 pts) will face off against Colorado State (2-2-0, 4 pts), Navy (3-2-1, 10 pts) and Niagara (1-2-0, 3 pts) in the 16-team American Collegiate Hockey Association Showcase tournament at the Mentor Civic Ice Arena in Mentor.
Coach Jonathon Sheridan is eager to see how the team responds to adversity on the road.
“We’ll find out. It’s a first for everyone including myself,” Sheridan said.
The Bobcats, who were ranked 10th in the latest edition of the ACHA rankings, are viewing this tournament as a test for the ACHA National Tournament, as they will have to prepare for three different teams this weekend.
“This is just how it will be for nationals,” Sheridan said. “It’s the same idea, so we have to win multiple games in multiple days at nationals.”
While the Bobcats and opponent Niagara don’t have to travel too far for the event, as both are under three and a half hours from the rink, Colorado State and Navy have to make much further trips to the tournament.
Sheridan said this could be an advantage for Ohio.
“I know if we travel far we try to get their earlier, so we can kind of get the legs going, it’s called bus legs, but to get them out,” Sheridan said. “Having light-travel helps us but it kind of depends on what they do.”
One competition the trip is certain to heat up is the goalie battle between freshman Ryan Heltion and sophomore Aaron Alkema.
Heltion, who had been one of the top goalies in the ACHA over his couple games and was toward the top of the charts in terms of save percentage and average goals against, allowed seven goals in his last start against Liberty last Friday.
Alkema started Saturday and shutdown the high-powered Liberty attack, allowing one goal on 35 shot attempts.
“It’s going to be a nice little battle with Heltion and Alkema right now, but that’s what you want in practice,” Sheridan said. “You want two guys going for one spot. Get that competition level up in practices and carry it over to the game.”
Sheridan added that he believes the team has to clean up the small details of its game and work harder in order to come out victorious in the close decisions its dropped early on.
“If you keep doing the same thing over and over again and keep failing, you’re going to get the same results,” Sheridan said. “We’re not paying attention to the details in practice, and therefore not doing it in the game, and that’s what’s getting us right now.”
He added that players have begun to realize this as the week has progressed, and the coaches have been riding them a little more to try and point them out.
“We’re a young team, we have a lot of guys who haven’t been in that position and they have a lot of weight on their shoulders,” Sheridan said. “We’ve got the (Joe) Breslins, (Mike) LeFrenier, (Patrick) Spellacy, Matty Hartman, and we’re leaning on them pretty hard.”
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