Ohio’s DII team is much more than a JV team

From booking hotel rooms and buses to simple things like ice time for practice, Cullura juggles a lot for the program.

Cullura never imagined being in this situation, but he’s glad to be in it. In prep school in Maine, Cullura soon realized that he would fall short of his goal of playing Big Ten hockey. Instead, he turned his attention to the ACHA. He found his home with the Division II team after he failed to make the Division I team.

Cullura is far from alone. In that sentiment, Vice President Hayden Ripley also takes on a variety of responsibilities. Ripley’s focus is on the team itself. He keeps the players in order and makes sure everything is smooth when it comes to personnel. Like Cullura, Ripley came to Ohio from Scottsdale, Arizona, for the Division I program, but he found himself a home on the Division II team Like many others before, he knew little about the team other than they were simply not the Division I team.

The Division II is student run beyond hockey-related logistics, too.

sion that the lower-ranked team is a “little brother” or just a minor league team. That is far from the case as the Division II team has lifted numerous trophies in its own right.

One thing that both Cullura and Ripley admit is the stigma that has surrounded their team. The idea that the Division II team is not competitive is something that draws the ire of the leaders of the program.

Phillip Oberlin started Ohio’s Division II hockey program in 2010, and, since then, the program has taken the ACHA by storm. The academically-driven group has racked up one regular season title, one playoff title as well as a trio of seasons where Ohio was the runner-up. In addition, the Division II team has four appearances in Regionals as well as one appearance in Nationals since its inception. Ohio University has always had top-tier hockey that was played by athletes attempting to bring back trophies and allure to Athens. However, Oberlin left the Division II program in 2018 to pursue other ventures. That meant that the team was placed in the hands of the students to not only run it, but keep it alive.

The Division II program hangs by a thread each season compared to its Division I counterpart. The program isn’t always sure if it will have the players or resources for a complete season. The players keep the team afloat; however, that makes the lives of the players far from easy. Club President Brendan Cullura organizes almost every logistic.

“We have a media team that has really been putting in work to get our social media up there,” Cullura said. “You can win as much as you want, you can go 25-0 on the season, but I don’t really think people would notice if you didn’t have a good social media presence and they do a great job at getting our names out there … especially on a team where you are paying your own fees, you’re coming in and doing this on your own time during school, during hours where you should be studying and people bought in and they believe in each other and the team.”

The fact that there are two teams on campus is enough to confuse many fans into how the two teams function and are organized. However, the fact that one of the teams is classified in a higher division gives the impres-

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With two teams playing the same sport for the same school, the notion that they are competing with one another is natural. However, they both have talent. In terms of the opponents and scheduling, the distinction is similar to that in baseball, where schools can have as many teams as long as only one is in each division (either I, II or III). The ACHA is the greater umbrella that both teams play under, but the Division I team is in the Central States Collegiate Hockey League while the Division II team is in the Tri-State Collegiate Hockey League. The season for the Division II team runs from when the leaves are changing in September all the way to when there are no leaves and the new ones are getting ready to sprout for a new season in March.

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They say good things come in threes, and “The Ryans” of the Ohio hockey team are no exception. Ryan Higgins, Ryan Hastings and Ryan Leonard were lucky enough to be given the same name at birth and play for the Bobcats.

It was a welcome coincidence, as the three of them have quite a friendship. The Post sat down with them to learn more about the trio when they are off the ice.

The Post: Does it ever get confusing because you’re all Ryan? Is there a nickname situation?

Higgins: Yeah, I mean we pretty much all go by our last names or made up nicknames, but for the most part if somebody yells “Ryan!” it’s like a funny joke, we all respond .

Leonard: Everybody says “what?” at the same time.

TP: (Leonard) They did a feature on you on the hockey account ... you limbo?

Leonard: I do

TP: Can you tell me more about that?

Leonard: Yeah I’ve been the reigning champ for the past four years. Nobody is able to beat me at all.

TP: So nobody can limbo better than you?

Leonard: No one ever.

TP: Is there a (team) limbo competition?