Ohio geared up to take on one of its biggest rivals this weekend — a small private school whose colors are white and red and whose name starts with "M." No, it wasn’t Miami, which Ohio faced on Friday, it was Maryville, a team it has quite the storied history against. Despite putting up an impressive fight against the Saints' quick offense, the Bobcats' overall record against them fell to 3-4 after a 1-2 overtime loss. A lack of energy and ability to follow through was what Head Coach Lionel Mauron cited as the reasons for the game being such a close one.
“I think we really didn’t play 60 minutes," Mauron said. "The first period was a little slow, our second was very good and our third was just okay. In the second we were definitely the better team, but we didn’t put the game away. When you don’t, you give them a chance to get a goal.”
The first period was a complete stalemate for both teams. The slow start didn’t benefit the Bobcats in the long run and ultimately played a large role in the game going to overtime. If there was one bright spot in the game, it was Ohio’s defense, which could keep up with Maryville’s lighting pace.
“Our defense was very good, the best I’ve seen this year. Our guys were very committed, they all did their job,” said Mauron. “No complaints with the way we defended, I just think we can attack better.”
The second period was the best for Ohio. It seemed a new spark had been ignited under the blades of its skates, as the team kept a much better pace with Maryville. That spark carried over into the early minutes of the third, with Luc Reeve scoring the first goal of the evening on an assist by Drake Nabozny and Hollander Thompson. This gave the Saints a hunger as they put up a goal of their own 10 minutes later.
This sent the game to overtime, and despite a slew of impressive saves by goaltender Justin Damon, Ohio lost. In future games, it will look to revive its energetic spirit from previous weekends.
“I’d like us to play three periods like we did in the second because we played simpler,“ said Mauron. “When we do that, we can use our forecheck and that is one of our strengths."
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