Tigers Open Season With 11-8 Loss At Otterbein

WESTERVILLE, Ohio - Wittenberg finally broke the ice - literally - on its 2015 season, falling to host Otterbein 11-8 on a frigid but sunny day.

Unable to practice on their own home turf at Edwards-Maurer Field due to cold weather and snow cover, the game was the first outdoor action for the Tigers in nearly a month. Wittenberg's originally scheduled 2015 season opener at Hampden-Sydney on Saturday, Feb. 21, was canceled for the same reason.

Still, Wittenberg came out strong, scoring the game's first two goals. However, by halftime, the Cardinals had taken a 5-4 lead, followed by the first two scores of the third quarter. The Tigers rallied to within one again at 8-7 on the third goal of the game by junior TJ Smith (Atlanta, Ga./The Marist School) with 2:34 left in the third frame.

Otterbein finished the game by outscoring Wittenberg 3-1 over the final 17 minutes of the game. The scoring run secured Otterbein's first-ever win over the Tigers in five tries.

The Cardinals won 15 of the game's 22 face-offs, leading to a 10-shot edge in the final count. Otterbein also led Wittenberg 28-20 in ground balls, and the Cardinals cashed in on three of 10 man-up opportunities, compared to just 2-of-3 for the Tigers.

Smith led Wittenberg with three goals in the game, while junior Thomas Fuss (New Albany, Ohio/Gahanna Lincoln) added two goals. Senior Matt Hugdahl (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie), senior Sean Kelleher (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) and senior Ryan Spitzer (Lincolnshire, Ill./Stevenson) each contributed one goal, with junior Andrew Fuss (New Albany, Ohio/Gahanna Lincoln) chipping in with a pair of assists.

Senior Riley Boehm (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie) topped Wittenberg in ground balls with four, and sophomore Aaron Blossey (Rocky River, Ohio/Rocky River) was solid in goal, turning away nine Otterbein shots.

Written By: Ryan Maurer