Buried beneath Ohio’s bizarre, abrupt ending to its game against Illinois on Saturday night, there was a play in the second period that encapsulated the team’s identity.

In the middle of the first line change of the period, forward Ryan Higgins chased a loose puck deep into Illinois’ defensive zone, where he planted a defenseman into the boards. Landing that hit right at the start of the period established that even though the Bobcats were down, they were far from out.

“It was awesome,” Ohio coach Lionel Mauron said. “Seeing him go out there and put his all into a shift shows the character we need, no matter the score.”

Physicality has been a major focus for the Bobcats this season. Their first 11 games were at home, and that physicality consistently got them off to hot starts while invigorating the crowd at Bird Arena.

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