Men’s hockey looks to bounce back against Bowling Green

Daniel Fyffe
Tue, 15 Oct 2013 03:49:34 +0000
Ice Hockey, Sports, Buckeyes, hockey, ohio state

OSU players celebrate after the Buckeyes first goal of the game against Miami (Ohio) Oct. 11 at the Schottenstein Center. OSU lost, 6-2.
Credit: Matthew Homan / Lantern photographer

Coming off the wrong side of a two-game sweep at the hands of Miami (Ohio) this weekend, the Ohio State men’s ice hockey team is looking to bounce back as it travels to Bowling Green State University for a one-game bout.

Despite giving up a combined 12 goals in their two losses against the Redhawks in coach Steve Rohlik’s first series at the helm of the team, the Buckeyes (0-2-0) are optimistic about their matchup with the Falcons (0-1-1).

Junior forward Max McCormick said Bowling Green and OSU are “hard-nosed teams,” so the game is going to be a battle.

“We didn’t let (being swept by Miami) get us down,” McCormick said. “We’re getting better every day and that’s our mindset, so we’re staying positive and we’re going into Bowling Green to get a win.”

Despite the positive attitude, senior forward Alex Szczechura said playing away from Columbus will pose a challenge the team must overcome.

“They’ve always been a hardworking team,” Szczechura said. “In their home rink, they’re a tough team to play. So coming into (Tuesday’s) game, we really just want to work hard and keep things simple, keep battling on the ice.”

McCormick noted that penalties and maintaining possession were two issues the Buckeyes faced against Miami, among other things.

“We really need to take care of the puck,” he said. “We worked on some things in the (defensive zone) and the neutral zone this week in practice and we brushed up on some things in the power play.”

OSU is 12-1-3 against the Falcons in the teams’ last 16 meetings.

The Buckeyes are slated to take on the Falcons Tuesday in Bowling Green, Ohio with the puck set to drop at 7:07 p.m.