No one likes to see a hard-working person fail, even if that person is Justin Zwick or John Cooper. It is even more upsetting when that hard-working person is one you have had the personal pleasure of watching progress over the course of his or her career.
This column is about two Ohio State hockey players whose careers came to a close in the past month who led their teams both on and off the ice.
I have watched a lot of both men's and women's OSU hockey during the past two years. During that time, two athletes - one man, one woman - have distinguished themselves as the heart and soul of their respective teams. And now, with postseason losses under their belts, both have put the final stamp on their Buckeye careers.
JB Bittner and Meaghan Mulvaney, your teams will miss you more than you know.
Bittner, a Pennsylvania native, is a four-time letter winner and two-time captain of the Buckeyes. Mulvaney, from my home region of Northwest Ohio, boasts the same accomplishments for her team.
During the players' junior seasons, both were named team captains while playing on teams laden with seniors who also deserved the role. But there was something about the way both of these athletes competed that convinced their teammates to bestow the honor of captain upon them.
Neither player boasts outstanding statistics. In 42 games this season, Bittner tallied 10 goals - two game-winners - and was +8. In 32 games this season, Mulvaney scored 12 goals - one game-winner - and was -4.
But there are numerous moments on the ice that are not reflected on the statistics sheet but tell the true story of these Buckeye icers.
For Bittner, two big moments stick out in my mind. The first occurred during the playoffs last season against hated in-state rival Miami. Bittner netted the game-winning goal a mere 23 seconds into overtime, and the image of him sliding across the ice on his stomach in triumph is one that will live forever.
The second came earlier this season against visiting Alaska-Fairbanks, when Bittner blocked four consecutive shots coming in from the point, helping the Buckeyes hold onto a one-goal lead. As he slammed his stick on the ice, he seemed to be sending the defiant message that nothing would be getting past him.
Mulvaney was very much the same type of player. Standing only 5-foot-4-inches tall, the diminutive captain would fly around the ice with reckless abandon. I saw her smash into players a full foot taller than her and into players who were actually twice her size.
But the moment that defines Mulvaney's career came against the high-powered Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs on Jan. 7. The Buckeyes were down by two field goals with under a minute to play, and the game seemed completely over. But then Mulvaney, who already had one goal in the game, grabbed a puck from the air in the neutral zone and cut toward the UMD goaltender and stickhandled past her, glove side.
The goal made the score 8-3 with 46 seconds remaining in the game.
Trailing by six goals with under a minute remaining did nothing to diminish the competitive fire that burned inside of Mulvaney. For the OSU women's hockey program to continue to improve, it will take more players like her.
The passion displayed by both players is something coaches praise but cannot teach. A player must have that fire inside to become the best athlete he or she can become. It might be cliché, but it is true.
Best of luck in your future endeavors, JB and Meaghan. OSU hockey is lessened without you.
Adam Jardy is the editor of The Lantern and is a senior majoring in journalism. E-mail him to tell him to stop being so sappy at jardy.1@osu.edu.
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