And Then There Were Four
Ohio overcomes early deficit to take down Arizona State, 5-3.
After a close-fought contest against Robert Morris yesterday, the Bobcats took to the ice against an eleventh-seed Arizona State team that upset Liberty by scoring five third-period goals.
It lead to an exciting and eventful evening in Bensenville, IL.
Before the Bobcats and Sun Devils dueled, #5 Iowa State, #10 Central Oklahoma, and #1 Lindenwood all clinched their spots in the semi-finals.
A back-and-forth high-tempo game led to an energetic and frantic 60 minutes of hockey.
ASU struck first when Joe Schweiger put the Sun Devils up 1-0. Patrick Lind assisted on the play, which took place on a 4-on-4 situation.
Just two minutes later, with the first period dwindling down, Pat Rogan gave the Sun Devils a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission. Jarrett Costello and Brian Parson both assisted on the power-play goal.
Coach Dan Morris and the Bobcats made the necessary changes and began the second period on a torrid start.
Two minutes into the period Tyler Pilmore beat ASU goalie Marc Schacker to get Ohio on the board. Michael Schultz and Nick Rostek had the helpers to make the score 2-1.
Schultz lit the lamp just 90 seconds later on a power-play with assists to Rostek and Pilmore.
With a tie game early in the second, the Schultz-Pilmore-Rostek line wasn't done quite yet.
Not even midway through the middle session, it was Rostek who beat Schacker on the power-play to give Ohio its first lead of the game 3-2. Schultz and Pilmore assisted.
Less than a minute later a different line got on the scoreboard.
Zach Tisdale netted his first goal of the tournament to give the 'Cats a 4-2 cushion. Billy Hemann and Jon Pietramala collected the helpers.
To finish the scoring stretch, Schultz once again beat Schacker to put Ohio up 5-2. Steve Osacky and Pilmore assisted.
When it was all said and done, the Bobcats scored five goals in a 6:30 span. Four of which came from the Schultz-Pilmore-Rostek line.
Arizona State got back on the board with 6 minutes left in the second, when Schweiger notched his second tally of the contest. Kris Myshak assisted.
The third brought no goals, but big saves from goalie Paul Marshall, who didn't allow a shot past him in the final 20 minutes. Time and time again, the Sun Devils threw everything they had at the goalie, but no matter what angle or speed, Marshall stopped every attempt.
Schultz finished the contest with 2 goals and 2 assists. Pilmore had 1 goal and 3 assists and Rostek had 1 goal and 2 assists.
Third-ranked Ohio will take on #5 Iowa State on Tuesday at 8 p.m. The Cyclones beat #4 Illinois today in OT.
Before the Bobcats and Cyclones meet, #1 Lindenwood will face #10 Central Oklahoma. The Lions had their way with #8 Minot State and Central Oklahoma defeated #2 Penn State in OT.