With, at the most, four games left in his collegiate career, Ohio captain Michael Schultz is in a race against the clock.
Schultz scored a goal and added an assist in the Bobcats’ 5-3 victory against Adrian last Friday night, bringing his career goals and assists to 94 and 119, respectively.
Those 213 total points are just five behind the all-time Ohio record of 218, a mark held by current head coach Dan Morris, who ended his Bobcat career in 1997.
And the mentor is not shying away from talking about the record with his prolific scorer.
“He’s said a little bit to me. I think he’s just trying to encourage me,” Schultz said. “He’s just kind of let me know where I’m at and just hopes for the best.”
The fact that the man who holds the record is now deciding how much ice time his closest competitor sees also creates an interesting dynamic. Morris said people have jokingly asked if he would bench Schultz to stop him from breaking the record, and he’s cleared up any questions about possible ulterior motives.
“Are you kidding me?” Morris said, laughing. “I want to win hockey games, and that means having Michael Schultz on the ice. Hopefully he gets the opportunity to break it.”
Schultz will continue his quest for 219 points when Ohio takes on Illinois in the first round of the American Collegiate Hockey Association national tournament on Saturday. His chances to break the record will likely hinge on how far the Bobcats are able to progress in the four-round, single-elimination tournament, of which Schultz said winning — not any individual records — is his ultimate goal.
Though the points record is up in the air, Schultz already holds one mark that might be just as impressive. Through last Saturday, he’s played in 164 of 166 Ohio games during his four years as a Bobcat, making him the all-time leader in games played.
Schultz’s reliability is all the more impressive given his stature. Listed at just 5-foot-9, 155 pounds (tied for the lowest weight on the team), Schultz’s ability to compete at a high level in a physical sport weekend after weekend for four years stands out to his appreciative coach.
“It’s quite an accomplishment,” Morris said. “I think Mike is an exceptional player to have that consistency every year. The durability for his size says a lot about him.”
Penalty (S)kill
Ohio’s penalty-kill unit has emerged as a central strength for a team that has at times found it difficult to stay out of the sin bin this season.
At no time has that been more apparent than during the past two weekends, when the Bobcats have killed off all but three of their opponents’ 34 power plays over five games.
Moving into nationals, the confidence of the penalty killers couldn’t be higher, and that’s good news in a tournament that can be decided on the strength of special-teams units.
But the Bobcats know it would be best if they didn’t have to kill any penalties at all.
“(Coach) said he’s going to bring it out to practice. If one guy takes a penalty, we’re all going to pay the consequences,” said forward Jared Fuhs. “Hopefully guys learn from it because at nationals, if you take too many penalties, you’ll be done quickly.”
cd211209@ohiou.edu
