Best of the Best From Hockey's First Half

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen of Buckeye hockey nation. We've reached the midpoint of the 2014-15 season (more or less) which means that it's time to take one last look at how the men's and women's teams fared in the first half. 

The men lost major players over the summer in Ryan Dzingel, Max McCormick, and Curtis Gedig. We expected there would be an adjustment period as guys settled into new roles. We expected Ohio State's non-conference schedule would be a challenge. We also expected that by this point in the season we would have a pretty good idea what we'll be seeing in the second half. 

Two out of three ain't bad. Your guess regarding the remainder of the season is as good as mine. A Magic Eight Ball probably has us both beat.

In their first 15 games the Buckeyes went toe-to-toe with quality teams to wildly varied results. They demonstrated stellar work on special teams, horrid work on special teams, flashes of brilliance, questionable decision-making, great goaltending, bad goaltending, miles of heart, and all the resiliency of a damp tissue (sometimes all within one weekend). They head to the holiday break with a 5-9-1 overall record. 

It's still possible for this team to be competitive in the conference. Heck, the NCAA tournament isn't completely out of reach. No matter how messed up this season may be, three wins in the Big Ten tourney and the Bucks are in. Three consecutive victories seems like a tall order now, but they have the whole second half to work up to it.

At 8-8-2 overall the women's team enjoyed more success than the men's squad. With the exception of a 4-2 home loss to St. Cloud the lady Bucks won all the games they should have in the season's first half. They added a sweep of current No. 9/10 Bemidji State and ties with No. 7/8 Minnesota-Duluth and North Dakota. 

The result is that Ohio State is in position to make a move in the second half. The Buckeyes must continue to take care of business against the WCHA's struggling teams. They'll also need to wrest a few more points from their fellow second-tier teams. If the lady Bucks can manage that, this could be one of the program's best conference finishes. 

Enough recapping jibber-jabber. On to the awards. 

Ohio State University

Best Team Performance - Men at Notre Dame, November 29th

Four different Buckeyes scored goals and ten logged a point in the team's 5-1 win over receiving-votes Notre Dame. Christian Frey turned in a solid 29 saves in net. OSU's penalty kill was a flawless 3-for-3 while the power play cashed in on 1-of-3 tries.  It was far and away the best outing for the men's squad in the first half.

Best Individual Performance - Claudia Kepler at North Dakota, November 21st

The was clock speedily ticking toward zero and the Buckeyes trailed UND by a pair of goals. Ohio State was about to drop the series opener to UND. Claudia Kepler had other ideas. She struck twice in the game's final four minutes to send the game into overtime. And the Verona, Wisconsin native wasn't finished yet. Kepler was the only skater to find the back of the net in the eventual shootout, earning the Buckeyes a shootout victory and two big conference points.

Game Most Likely to Have Ended You - Men vs Bowling Green, November 14th

In-state rivalry played in a packed house of mixed fanbases? Check. Thrilling two-goal Buckeye comeback in the final five minutes? Check. Another last-second Buckeye comeback after the Falcons rally to tie things up? Heart attacks. We're all dead now.

Michael Griggs/Ohio State University

Unsung Hero - Matt Johnson

Johnson's blue collar minutes don't make many headlines. Despite the lack of accolades he clocks into every game with 100% effort. The hard-working senior was a rare constant in an unsettled first half. Johnson posted a point in all but two series, accumulating a modest 4-2--6 stat line. He's on pace for a career season. Also of note, though he certainly makes his presence felt, the man they call Big John was whistled for just two penalties in his first 14 games.

Deadeye Buck - Anthony Greco

Greco was Buckeye hockey's top shooter in the first half, recording seven goals in 15 games. Three of those tallies came against then-No. 3 Providence as the junior from Queens, New York kicked off the season with his first collegiate hat trick. While Greco wasn't able to keep up that level of production throughout the first half, he wrapped it up with two goals and two assists in his last three games. Perhaps the mini-streak signals a return to his opening night lethality.

Ohio State University

Golden Goalie - Kassidy Sauve 

Her Buckeye career has barely begun and Sauve already ranks 7th on Ohio State's all-time shutout list. The freshman tender blanked three teams in the season's first half. She posted a 6-7-0 record in 13 games (including eight vs. current top-10 teams) and holds a 2.38 GAA and .910 SV%. Sauve logged a career high 44 saves against No. 3 Wisconsin on October 12th and collected another 40 against No. 2 Minnesota on November 14th. 

Best Use of Props - Brutus Buckeye

Brutus dropped into the Schott to help fans cheer the men's team as it opened Big Ten play against Michigan State. He also borrowed the concourse ficus and used it to creatively harass some visiting Spartan fans.

Best Hair - Christian Lampasso 

Flow, lettuce, hockey hair, this sport has a hallowed tradition of follicular splendor. Both Ohio State teams boast some splendid locks, but there is only one guy with dreadlocks. The guy with dreads always wins. Lampasso skated in 12 games in the first half, recording four assists and being a general pain in rear for Buckeye opponents. 

Ohio State University

Secretary of Defense - Sara Schmitt

The Ohio State captain patrols the ice with a veteran corps of blue-liners this season. If the second half goes the same way as the first, the Buckeye ladies will finish with one of the best goals-allowed averages in program history. Schmitt is a huge part of the Buckeye defense, playing heavy minutes against the nation's best players. If you happen to subscribe to the theory that the best defense is a good offense... Well, she has that covered too. Schmitt leads Ohio State in points with a midseason total of 4 goals and 11 assists.

Did I leave out a crucial award? Disagree with my winners? Leave a comment and tell me how wrong I am.

This Week's Conference Action

While Ohio State's programs are off this week, a handful of their conference foes are active. In the Big Ten Wisconsin plays an exhibition tilt against the US Under-18 team. Michigan plays at No. 16 Boston College on Saturday (a game which is, somewhat weirdly, not televised). Clarkson visits Michigan Sate on Sunday.

That will do it for the conference's pre-holiday schedule. The teams get back to work in the weeks following Christmas. Ohio State's first games will be against Mercyhurst at Erie Insurance Arena. 

As for the ladies, No. 9 Bemidji State, the Buckeyes' opponent next week, plays at St. Cloud. North Dakota is the only other WCHA team with games on the schedule. UND is headed to RIT for a non-conference match-up. Ohio State travels to BSU for games December 19th and 20th in the conference's final series before the holidays.

Here's a brief rundown of both where the teams stand in their respective conferences.