It has been something we have heard before. Cyclone Hockey struggles to score.

That was again the case after the Cyclones dropped the first game against the Ohio Bobcats 3-1 Jan. 16 at the Bird Arena. 

The No. 10 Cyclones (11-10-5) didn’t come out as sharp as they needed to be to start off well against the No.5 Bobcats (21-4-2). They only put three shots on net compared to Ohio’s ten shots in the first period.

The Bobcats made use of the advantage and scored the game’s first goal with just over two minutes left in the period after a weird bounce.

The Cyclones picked it up slightly in the second period but to no avail as they only had four shots to show for it.

They did, however, manage to slow Ohio’s fast offensive game down and allow five shots. Goalie Matt Cooper played well despite the crowd shouting a “Coo-per” chant and stopped all five of those shots to keep it 1-0 going into the second intermission. 

The Bobcats came back out strong in the third period, and it paid dividends after Michael Harris delivered a hard slap shot from the blue line that knocked off the left post and in.

Tom Whetsel would extend that lead with a wrist shot only one minute later. Nate Percy finally put the Cyclones on the board but it was too little, too late. 

The Bobcats out-shot the Cyclones 24-15.

Cyclone Hockey will finish its two-game series with the Ohio Bobcats at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 17 at the Bird Arena in Athens, Ohio.