Correction appended.
Ohio didn’t start the weekend off how it wanted to, but it’s still coming home with a win.
Ohio pulled off an upset, splitting its series with No. 5 Iowa State this weekend. After it lost Friday’s game and tallied its fifth-straight loss, it looked like the end of the series would be bleak for Ohio. However, Ohio made necessary adjustments to get its first win since Nov. 20.
Here is a closer look at Ohio’s weekend games in Ames, Iowa:
Friday
Despite Ohio losing 3-1 on Friday, both teams got off to similar starts. The first period was slow and neither team scored in the first 20 minutes of play. Also, there were almost no penalties committed in the first period. It remained that way until Nick Ventura was sent to box for cross checking with three minutes to go.
It didn’t take long for the Bobcats to get behind and stay behind in the second period. Iowa State’s Matty Moran struck early and scored a goal 10 seconds into the new period. The third period bared similar consequences. Iowa State’s lead grew to 2-0 after Ray Zimmerman scored.
Aiden Greico tried to revive the Bobcats offense by scoring a goal with less than three minutes left in the game. In an attempt to tie the game and create an easier opportunity to score, Ohio coach Lionel Mauron took Max Karlenzig out of the net. However, it didn’t work as planned. Hunter Flores scored on the empty net to seal Ohio’s fate.
Saturday
Ohio knew something wasn’t working after suffering its fifth-straight loss. Mauron knew the team needed to make a change, so he put senior Jackson Chilberg in goal. Chilberg had only played in two games this season, but that did not show on Saturday. He flashed his expertise against the Cyclones with 33 saves on 34 shots on goal.
J.T. Schmizzi also was a huge part of the Bobcats win on Saturday. He scored two goals in the third period to put Ohio up by three goals in the final seconds of the game.
Nick Erker and Ryan Higgins also scored goals for Ohio in its win on Saturday. Higgins currently leads the Bobcats with 28 points this season and is a crutch for the Bobcats in most situations.
Ohio and Iowa State had almost the same number of shots on goal Saturday, but Ohio made more quality shots. Ohio made the most of its 35 shots on goal, while Iowa State squandered their 34. In the end, Ohio benefitted from that and came out with the victory
Correction: A previous version of this article stated the wrong spelling of Jackson Chilberg’s name. This article has been updated to reflect the most accurate information.
