Bobcats fall in CSCHL Tournament final, 6-4
Throughout the weekend, the Bobcats saw more than their fair share of minutes in the penalty box.
They experienced a mix of skaters having to cover more ice
on the penalty kill plus an overtime game just over 12 hours before today’s
puck drop.
Sooner or later, the minutes were bound to catch up.
Ohio fought tooth and nail, but a strong final frame vaulted top-seeded Lindenwood to a 6-4 win in the Central States Collegiate Hockey League Tournament championship at Bird Arena.
It marks only the second time Lindenwood has won the league tournament since joining the ranks. Now, the Lions take the outright title as both the tournament and regular season championships. It was also the third straight year the Bobcats and Lions have met for the cup.
Ohio (25-12-1) donned their black uniforms as the away club. However, the ice remained the same as the Bobcats battled in their home building. Lindenwood (29-4-0) opened the scoring just over two minutes in with a strike from Steve Brancheau.
The first frame saw the most penalties out of any on the day. Ohio was able to capitalize on their third chance when Brett Agnew buried a feed from Tom Whetsel to knot the game at 1-1. Mike Kretz also tallied an assist.
Agnew would return the favor before the first intermission when he and John Luciana delivered a crisp dish to Whetsel for another score. Ohio would carry that 2-1 lead into the second frame.
Lindenwood responded with two unanswered in the first 11 minutes of the middle frame. Grant Gorczyca struck only 27 seconds out of the locker room to tie it back up at 2-2. It would extend Gorczyca’s team-leading total to 21. Neeco Balenger followed suit 10 minutes later to but the Lions back up 3-2.
With another response needed, Ohio kept their heads on a swivel. Agnew connected on his second score just over a minute after Balenger’s strike to tie the contest again. The goal was Agnew’s 20th of the year and would send the teams back to the locker rooms gridlocked.
After going punch-for-punch with the nation’s third-ranked team through 40 minutes, it became Lindenwood’s show at the outset of the third. Brancheau buried his second goal on the man-advantage to break the tie. Niklas Bunnstedt then stole an attempted clear and went top-shelf for a shorthanded tally.
Gorczyka added the Lions’ third goal in a four-minute span at the 9:07 mark, giving Lindenwood a commanding 6-3 advantage. A slew of points were accumulated throughout the day as all but two of the 10 scores came with multiple assists.
The Bobcats breathed life back into their effort when Josh Fodor tipped a dish into the top corner, cutting the lead to two with 2:07 remaining. However, a late Ohio penalty nixed any further comeback attempts.
Overall, both Whetsel and Agnew picked up four points on the day. Eleven Lions picked up points with Brancheau, Gorczyca, Tyler Bowman, Peppi Sipila, and Joe Bostic notching two apiece.
Fedor Dushkin was saddled with the loss as he stopped 17 of 23 shots he faced. Kent Henry picked up his 17th win of the year as he put the blocker on 21 of 25 chances.
The Lions extend their current win streak to 17 and remain a perfect 17-0-0 in CSCHL play. Brancheau picked up the Tournament Most Valuable Player award. He picked up a pair of assists in the Saturday matchup with Illinois as well.
Ohio now turns its attention to one more weekend at Bird Arena. The team welcomes in Great Lakes Collegiate Hockey League Champion Adrian next weekend for a pair of contests. Then, it’s on to the ACHA National Tournament in Strongsville, Ohio, beginning March 2. The Bobcats will play #11 Illinois in the second round on Saturday, March 3 at 1:00 p.m.
Both puck drops for Adrian will be 7:30 p.m. Stay locked to ohiobobcatshockey.com for preview, features and more leading up to those matchups.
