Sports

Ohio Hockey drops second in a row to top-ranked Minot State

By: Ella Hughes
Posted on: Sunday, February 16, 2025

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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — It was another sold-out crowd at Bird Ice Arena for Senior Night, and the Ohio Bobcats were hoping to upset the first-ranked Minot State Beavers. The teams battled all night, but the Beavers ultimately won a 6-5 shootout.  

The puck was down and just five seconds after the opening faceoff Sheldin Howard sent one over Scott Bird’s shoulder, 1-0 Beavers. The Bobcats would be quick to strike back when Barron Stibbe found the back of the net assisted by Laker Aldridge and Jack Glen, 1-1. 

Minot State was fast and aggressive leaving little room for Ohio to earn quality scoring chances. The Cats started to play frustrated resulting in a Beaver power play, but with just one second left in the man advantage, Drake Nabozny scored a shorthanded goal, 2-1 Bobcats.  

The battle didn’t slow down, the fourth goal in the first ten minutes came from the hands of Joey Moffet, 2-2. Minot did not stop following their second goal with constant pressure in the Ohio zone. The pressure would pay off when Colby Joseph riffled one home assisted by Matthew Yakubowski, 3-2 Beavers.  

Ohio hoped to have a better start in the second, but they were unsuccessful, giving up another goal scored by Reece Henry, 4-2. The second frame was a lot different than the first with both teams playing to their physical strengths. This would help the Bobcats when Will Cohen found the back of the net on Jake Anthony’s glove side, 4-3.  

The third period was crucial, and Ohio needed some puck luck to tie the game. The Bobcats’ bad luck continued when eight minutes in, Brett Tartaryn extended the Beaver lead to two, 5-3.  

The Bobcats wouldn’t go down without a fight, pulling their goalie with 1:45 left in the game and finally, their luck started to turn. Nabozny netted his second of the night to pull the game within one a minute later, 5-4. The last ten seconds were roaring when Mathieu Ovaert excitingly tied the game sending it to overtime, 5-5. 

Overtime was filled with chances from both teams, but more than five minutes were needed to finish this one. It was all or nothing in the shootout. The Beavers would score in the first round and Ohio would tie it in the fourth. The game rested in the hands of Joseph who would send one flying, winning the game for Minot, 6-5.  

Head Coach Barry Schutte was proud of the fight his team showed late, “This is a competitive group. It’s been their strength all year. When the puck goes down and it’s us versus you, you’re going to be in for a fight.” 

Ohio will look to finish the weekend series with a win against Minot for the last game of the year at Bird. Puck drop is slated for 2:30 p.m.