Icecats take on defending champ Ohio in big series

Then there's this weekend's match-up, which should provide quite the opposite.

Three-time defending national champion Ohio University (5-4-0) will come to the Tucson Convention Center tonight and tomorrow night to take on the Icecats (4-0-0) at 7:30 both nights.

Last season, the Icecats traveled to Athens, Ohio and picked up a win and a tie against the Bobcats. Ohio got revenge by beating Arizona in the American Collegiate Hockey Association national tournament.

"The guys know they're in for a whale of two games," Icecat head coach Leo Golembiewski said.

The Icecats are coming off a hard-fought series against Colorado, despite winning the games 13-7 and 6-2.

Golembiewski said that the series against the Buffaloes was "sufficient preparation" for the showdown with the Bobcats.

Arizona will be counting on their top two lines to continue to score seemingly at will.

Senior center and co-captain Ben Ruston already has 11 goals on the year, while freshman left-wing Paul Dorn has eight.

Assisting Ruston on most of his goals have been freshmen wings Marc Harris (10 assists) and Ed Carfora (12). Freshman right-wing Mike Graves (7) has fed Dorn on most of his goals.

Despite the high scores, the Icecats often came out slow in the first period, something that Golembiewski said relates to the team's youth.

"I've always believed that hockey is 75-percent psychological," he said. "The kids don't seem to understand that yet."

The Icecats will also be looking for a big weekend from sophomore goaltender Mike Tesi, who took over in the nets last Saturday after freshman Jordan Bolton gave up three goals to the Buffaloes.

"He's the number-one goaltender right now," Golembiewski said. "It's his job to keep."

And at least one Icecat will be up for this weekend's series. Senior defenseman and co-captain Chad Dyjak transferred to Arizona from Ohio last year, and he and the rest of the defense will be called upon to stop the Bobcats' potent offensive attack.

"We're pretty happy with Chad's consistency," Golembiewski said, then adding, "and his complaining."

Dyjak has emerged as a very vocal leader for the Icecats this year, and will need to be at his loudest this weekend.

As for Ohio, coach Craig McCarthy has been in a similar situation this year, as his top two scorers from last season, Dan Morris and Derek Partlo, graduated.

The Bobcats did return last year's ACHA Tournament MVP, goalie Brody Danner, and a tough defense led by Seth Kilzer and Brandon Alviano.

This year has not been kind to the defending champs, as No. 1-ranked Iowa State thrashed the Bobcats, 11-5, and Eastern Michigan dealt them a 9-1 loss last month. Ohio is now coming off a 6-4 loss to Penn State last Friday that dropped their record to barely over .500 on the season.

Last season Ohio started 14-1 but then slumped to 4-7-2 before running through the tournament.

"Their biggest strength is usually size," Golembiewski said. "The key for us is being quick, especially being quick on transition from defense to offense."

Homecoming '97

UA vs. Ohio Bobcats

(4-0-0) (5-4-0)

When: Today and tomorrow at 7:30 p.m.

Where: Tucson Convention Center

TV/Radio: Broadcast on KTKT radio (AM990).

What: The Bobcats come in as defending national champions for three straight years ... senior defenseman and co-captain Chad Dyjak transferred to Arizona from Ohio last spring ... The Icecats beat and tied the Bobcats in Athens, Ohio last year, but then lost to them in the national tournament.