We must protect this house!”
Ohio has taken the old Under Armour slogan to heart so far this season, having gone a perfect 8-0 in Athens during the fall portion of its schedule. Going back to last season, the Bobcats are 25-7 in the friendly confines of Bird Arena. On the road or at neutral sites this season, they’re a more pedestrian 10-7.
Such are the cold, hard facts of home-ice advantage and what comes with it — sleeping in your own bed, knowing the ins and outs of the ice and a goal song that involves fan-participation profanity.
But more than just the recent past will be up against Illinois when the Fighting Illini take on the Bobcats tonight. They’ll have to deal with decades-old demons: the Illini have never beaten Ohio in regulation at Bird Arena in the history of the Central States Collegiate Hockey League, with their sole victory coming in a shootout.
The Bobcats know that could mean a more motivated than usual Illinois squad rolling in this weekend.
“I’m sure they’re fired up,” forward Zander Dover said. “I think every school coming here is ready to play with how good our crowd is, and just from our reputation, everyone wants to beat us. They’re going to be ready.”
Part of Ohio’s dominance against the Illini in Bird Arena has to do with elements they can’t control. At home, Illinois plays on an ice surface measuring 195 feet by 115 feet, larger than even NHL-sized rinks, while Ohio plays in a relatively claustrophobic 190-by-85 space.
The Bobcats always have a tough time adjusting when they travel to Champaign, but not as tough as the Illini seem to have the other way around.
“It’s the two biggest extremes: They’re the biggest rink in the country, and we’re the smallest rink,” coach Dan Morris said. “There’s no other rink with our dimensions. It’s a big adjustment.”
The much-smaller width of Bird Arena makes for a much-smaller neutral zone than Illinois’ customary size. The time and space that the men in orange uniforms are accustomed to just won’t be there.
“They’re not going to have as much room as they think they’re going to have,” Dover said.
But unlike its record against Ohio in Athens, Illinois’ overall record this season (10-7-0) might be deceiving, with the majority of the losses coming against top-five teams such as Penn State, Lindenwood and Delaware. Coaches have taken the strength of schedule into consideration, resulting in Illinois’ ninth-place ranking in the American Collegiate Hockey Association poll.
But the Bobcats too are a top-five team, and Illinois’ struggles against the top-flight, combined with its inability to win on the road, might mean a Bobcat sweep, but Morris expects no easy ride.
“I think they’ve improved a lot since the beginning of the season,” he said. “They play really solid team defense. They make you earn everything you get. Nothing’s going to come easy.”
cd211209@ohiou.edu
