After a string of wins, the No. 22 Stony Brook hockey team’s momentum was halted by one of the nation’s best squads.
Fresh off of last weekend’s sweep over Delaware, the Seawolves (10-10-3, 4-3-0 ESCHL) were at Bird Arena in Athens, Ohio for a two-game series with the No. 4 Ohio Bobcats (15-3-0) this weekend. The series could not have gotten off to a worse start for Stony Brook, as it was blown out 5-0 on Friday night. During the second leg of the back-to-back on Saturday afternoon, the team fell by a score of 6-3.
Following a scoreless first period that saw both sides get quality chances, the game opened up in the second. After a pair of costly Seawolves penalties, the Bobcats’ power play went to work. With time ticking down on their man advantage, Ohio winger Hollander Thompson followed up his own rebound from a redirection out in front, beating goaltender Steven Reganato to make it 1-0 Ohio just past the seven-minute mark of the middle period.
The score stayed the same until there was 5:03 remaining in period two. Off a misplay by the Seawolves in their defensive end, Ohio center Kevin Kasper capitalized with an incredible individual effort. Kasper circled the zone, protected the puck and then ripped a shot past Reganato from the left faceoff circle to extend the Bobcats’ lead to 2-0.
However, Ohio was not done with its dominant second period. Just under three minutes later, Ohio center Barron Stibbe pickpocketed winger Paul DeSaro at the Bobcats’ blue line, leading to an odd-man rush. Though defenseman Drew Gardner’s chance was stopped, Stibbe deposited the rebound with Reganato being left out to dry on the play.
The early stages of the third period were uneventful, seeing the Seawolves manage some shots and chances but being unable to find the back of the net.
Eventually, the Bobcats firmly put the game to bed with under five minutes left to play in the contest. A broken play off a faceoff in the left circle led to the puck finding Ohio winger Mathieu Ovaert’s blade, who fired a perfectly placed shot high-blocker side on Reganato to make it 4-0.
With just over a minute left to play, Ohio winger Noah Holt beat Reganato on a wrap-around for good measure to end the 5-0 rout.
Despite allowing five goals on 44 shots, Reganato gave his team a chance with some strong saves throughout the game. However, with a silent night from the offense, his efforts fell on deaf ears.
It was a rough game for Stony Brook’s offense, which was white-hot coming into the matchup. The Seawolves managed 36 shots on goal but failed to beat Ohio goaltender Garrett Alderman, who earned the win and registered a shutout in the crease.
Additionally, Stony Brook failed to convert on its lone power play and killed off just one of its two shorthanded disadvantages.
Despite a valiant effort, the Seawolves fell short on Saturday as well.
The second game saw Stony Brook get off to a slow start for a second straight day. While on the power play, the Bobcats displayed some crisp passing that culminated in the game’s first goal at the 10:16 mark of the first period. From right point, Ohio winger Nolan Abraham fired a backdoor pass right onto Kasper’s tape for a tap-in.
It did not take long for the Bobcats to add to their lead, as just 1:25 later, a stretch pass from defenseman Collin Felton found Ovaert at the Seawolves’ blue line. From there, he made a brilliant move around defenseman Gavin Connelly before sliding a shot under goaltender Scott Barnikow and in on the partial breakaway.
Going into the second period down 2-0, Stony Brook got an early spark. Just 26 seconds into the middle frame, winger Kyle Smyth found center James Kozicki off the rush, who fired a shot past Ohio goaltender Max Karlenzig to get the Seawolves on the board for the first time in the series.
However, it took the Bobcats just over a minute to regain their two-goal advantage. After snatching the puck from defenseman Dylan Kowalsky right behind Stony Brook’s net, Abraham caught Barnikow napping and notched a wrap-around goal.
Ohio continued its aggressive play, which would eventually cost it on the scoreboard. At the 7:34 mark of the second period, a broken pinch play allowed the Seawolves to break out on a two-on-one rush. DeSaro laid a perfect pass for Scimeca, who made a silky deke around Karlenzig and netted the backhander to once again cut the Seawolves’ deficit to one goal.
Contrasting the second period’s opening minute, Ohio struck first and early in the third. Just 18 seconds in, another turnover by Stony Brook in its own zone came back to bite it, as Ohio defenseman Spencer Schons’ point shot was deflected by winger Laker Aldridge in front of the crease. Though Barnikow turned it away, Aldridge followed up his own rebound and buried the rebound to make it 4-2 Bobcats.
However, Stony Brook clawed back again just prior to the halfway point of the third period, as defenseman Jackson Haskins sprung Scimeca up the ice to create a two-on-one rush, who opted to keep the puck and rip a shot top shelf on Karlenzig to get his team within a goal.
Nonetheless, a crucial penalty derailed any chance of a Stony Brook comeback. With just over five minutes remaining in the contest, DeSaro was given a match penalty for kicking following an offensive-zone scrum, which gave Ohio a five-minute power play. With two minutes to go, Ovaert skated straight to the net unchecked and blew a shot past Barnikow to extend Ohio’s lead to 5-3 with a power-play marker.
Less than half a minute later, the Bobcats converted for a second time on the man advantage, as Abraham found winger Drake Albers all alone in front of the net to tap a shot past Barnikow, burying the Seawolves and securing a 6-3 victory.
Head coach Chris Garofalo did not speak to the media after either game.
Despite a much better offensive showing for Stony Brook in the goal column, it was severely outshot 45-18. The Seawolves’ special teams also did not help matters either. Special teams were the story of the game, as Stony Brook’s power play went 0-for-2 while its penalty kill allowed three goals on seven shorthanded disadvantages.
On Saturday, Scimeca led the team with two goals while Kozicki also lit the lamp. DeSaro, Smyth, Connelly, Kowalsky and Haskins all recorded an assist apiece. Barnikow turned aside 39 shots in defeat.
Following their rough weekend, the Seawolves will look to reclaim some of the momentum they built on their previous three-game winning streak back at home at The Rinx next weekend. There, they will take on the No. 17 Pittsburgh Panthers in a two-game series. The Panthers are 14-9-1 this season and 5-2-0 in Eastern States Collegiate Hockey League (ESCHL) play. They split with No. 11 Niagara during their last time out. The series will kick off on Saturday at 7 p.m. before wrapping up on Sunday with a 1:30 p.m. start time. Only game two will count toward ESCHL standings.
