Sports
Ohio Hockey drops final home game of season, extends losing streak to three
By: Joshua Hoerner
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — Ohio Hockey drops to Minot State 3-2 after another close battle.
Ohio Hockey came into this game looking for revenge after a 6-5 shootout loss to Minot State the night before. The Beavers are currently the number one ranked ACHA, while Ohio is ranked the number three team in the league.
Ohio was able to get a lot of shots off quickly in the early going. Minot State had the first-man advantage of the game, but the Bobcats did a great job on the penalty kill. The Beavers’ only chance came on a slap shot from defenseman Matthew Yakubowski.
Ohio built momentum on a great chance from forward Will Cohen. They carried that momentum into their first power play of the game, where freshman Nolan Abraham hurried the first goal of the game. The goal was assisted by Mathieu Ovaert and Drake Nabonzy.
Ohio kept the lead at the end of the first period. They outshot the Beavers 14-9 and were able to kill two penalties in the opening period.
The second period is when the Beavers offense came alive. They scored just 16 seconds into the period, as Trenton Curtis scored right after a Minot State power play expired. Curtis’ goal was assisted by Joey Moffat and Jay Buchholz.
Walker Jerome committed a penalty for the Beavers, and Ohio took advantage. Drake Nabozny scored an unassisted goal with 13:42 left in the second.
Minot would then go on to score two straight goals, the first of which came from Colby Joseph, assisted by Christian Kadolph. Then, captain Jay Buchholx scored with 6:15 left in the period. His goal was assisted by Curtis and Moffat.
Minot State held a 3-2 lead after two periods of play. The Bobcats still led with 28 shots, compared to the Beavers 18. Goalie Will Dyke was very strong in net for Minot State.
The final period of play featured strong defensive play from both sides. Drake Albers had a few chances to tie it up for the Bobcats, but couldn’t find the back of the net. Ultimately, the final period hit zeros and Ohio lost 3-2.
Head Coach Barry Schutte was still proud of his team despite the loss.
“I was very happy was our effort tonight,” Schutte said. “It was two top teams and it was a really good hockey game all around.”
Ohio will travel to Liberty before the ACHA National Tournament.