In its first two home games of the season against Pitt, Ohio (11-3) split the series, losing the first game 5-3 and winning the second 3-1. Ohio pelted Pitt’s goaltender in game two, forcing him to face 41 shots. While it might make its goal total on the night look lower than it should have been, if Ohio hopes to succeed in its upcoming series, it must continue pelting shots and forcing opposing goaltending to make a lot of saves.
While West Virginia enters the series with a record under .500, Ohio can’t take the opponent lightly as West Virginia enters the series winning its last five straight. In their last series alone, the Mountaineers scored eleven goals while taking 94 shots.
Here's everything to know ahead of the series.
Series information
Opponent: West Virginia (10-12)
Start Time: Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m.
Location: Bird Arena (Athens, Ohio)
West Virginia player to watch: Leonard Haban (No. 66)
Sophomore forward Leonard Haban has been an elite goal scorer for the Mountaineers over the last two seasons. He’s already matched his previous season’s goal total of 17, with a long way to go before the current season’s end. This point-per-game forward has been dangerous all year long and will certainly be a player to look out for this weekend.
Ohio player to watch: Drake Nabozny (No. 7)
When one team leads the charge with its best forward, the other must counter with its best defenseman, making Ohio’s player to watch its sophomore defenseman, Drake Nabozny. He currently holds a point-per-game on the season with three goals and nine assists and has been a staple of Ohio’s blue line.
