Hockey heats up as Ohio splits series with rival Icers
By Zach Swartz, Sports Editor
February 11, 2007 | 12:19 p.m.
The weather outside Bird Arena may have been freezing this weekend, but the ice inside was steaming hot. The Ohio Bobcats, No. 3 in the American Collegiate Hockey Association, clashed with their heated rivals and No. 2, the Penn State Icers.
Coming off an impressive sweep of No. 1-ranked Illinois (26-4-0) last weekend in Athens, the Bobcats were looking to take over the No. 1 spot -- an opportunity that could only be fulfilled by beating the team that swept them earlier in the season in Pennsylvania.
Ohio dominated on Friday, scoring the first four goals of the game and holding Penn State to zero goals until the 23-second mark of the third period. The two teams were at each other’s throats all night as players pushed, shoved, punched and yelled at each other to do anything to get the win. It was evident from the beginning that there was a rivalry at hand, and the fast-paced match kept both the players and the fans rowdy and raucous the entire night.
The Bobcats' 4-0 win on Friday boosted the team's confidence coming into the game on Saturday, the team's last game before they host the CSCHL tournament this coming weekend. Ohio looked hot right off the bat as John Yasak threw a wrister right over Penn State's Nick Signet's shoulders into the net 12 minutes into the first period. Penn State did not roll over, however, and they scored the next three goals of the game. The Bobcats had several opportunities to score in the third period, but Jim Fuhs' lone goal with just 1:28 left to play was not enough to bring the green-and-white a victory.
“It's our biggest rival," said Ohio Head Coach Dan Morris. "The last 10 games have all been decided, except for this one -- with the empty netter it was three to one -- by one goal or two goals … Every game was tight. We have a lot of respect for their players, their kids, [and] their staff. It's always an entertaining hockey game. We just seem to win the games here, and they just seem to win the games there.”
After the blowout in the first game, it seemed the home team would again have the advantage this weekend. Gang Green was loud and crazy, and both teams brought intensity to the ice on both nights. As it turned out, though, it was the players' emotions that were drawn from such a meaningful game that brought about Ohio's downfall on Saturday.
"We tried to pour it on, [but] I think, honestly, we let our emotions get the best of us tonight," Coach Morris said. "I think we didn't do a very good job of [suppressing] our emotions, and it came back to haunt us a little bit...That's the thing we talk about: you want to be a championship team, especially when it comes down to emotions, you can't be on that roller coaster ride of highs and lows; you have to be pretty even keel. We had some guys who were way too emotional tonight, and it came back to hurt us.”
The emotions were understandable. Penn State and Ohio have long been fiery adversaries in the ACHA, a fact that was highlighted in this match-up that included a battle for first place in the nation, revenge from previous defeat and personal ties between Ohio's players and the state of Pennsylvania.
Ten of the 28 Bobcats are from the state of Pennsylvania, so they know the animosity between the two clubs. Junior right-winger Jim Roach is from Mars, Penn., and transferred from Penn State after the 2004-2005 season. Having played for both teams, he knows what each team brings to the table and what makes the rivalry.
"We lost in our own barn to Penn State," Roach said, "but come Monday, you have to kind of wipe the slate a little bit and keep this in the back of your mind, but let the slate start new and start working toward your goal.”
Jim Fuhs, who scored an empty-net goal in the third period of Friday's game and the Bobcats' last goal of the game on Saturday, hails from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and he too knows what the rivalry means to the two opponents. "[The rivalry] means a lot," Fuhs said. "Being from Pittsburgh, I know a lot of guys on that team. It's a big rivalry, but it's more than being from Pittsburgh. Ohio and Penn State has just been a rivalry for so long.”
In preserved rivalries such as these, however, both teams cannot be on top at the same time. Because Penn State took two in a row from Ohio at State College in October, Ohio would need a sweep of the Icers at home just to be considered for the top spot in the nation. With the split series this weekend, Penn State should take over the No. 1 ranking after Illinois fell to Ohio this past weekend.
"One and two are big because of the way the schedule works out, and all that stuff,” Coach Morris said. “It's key, I think, that you just saw the top two teams in the country...Penn State swept Rhode Island this year four to nothing and were three and one against us, so I think: give them the nod as the number one team, and then I'd put us right behind them.”
Though the national rankings are significant, the Bobcats have a different focus on their mind this week. With the sweep of Illinois last weekend, Ohio won the CSCHL and clinched their spot as the No. 1 seed in the league tournament, which they are hosting this weekend at Bird Arena. Games on Friday and Saturday will be at 10:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., and Ohio plays at 7:30 each night. Coming off the split series with Penn State, the Bobcats will be sure to put up their A game this weekend.
"We just have to know that the teams we're playing are coming after us," Fuhs said. "Being a No. 1 seed, everybody's coming after you -- being number one is good to know, but in hockey you just have to play your hardest...It’s good to get the top two seeds because you get good game spots, good times…really the only difference to me is if you're one, you don't get to bring your away jerseys.”
Playing at home will indeed be to the Bobcats' advantage, as only two of their losses this season occurred at Bird Arena. And, as seen by their collective salute to the home crowd after every home game, the Ohio players appreciate the fans' support. After the split series to their rivals, Ohio will make certain not to get too bigheaded, but you can be sure that they will be playing with the same fiery passion and intensity they displayed against Penn State.
"Losing this game helps a lot in all aspects," Coach Morris said. "I think a lot of guys are hungry. I think playing at home helps, obviously...Yeah, you want to win every game, but sometimes losing's not bad medicine for keeping our heads pretty small.”
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