Good afternoon, puck heads. Welcome to your hebdomadal Buckeye hockey chit-chat. (Vocabulary words only stick if you use them.) This week the injury-depleted men hit the road for a rematch with top-ranked Penn State. The women are also away, facing Minnesota. Are you expecting a dreadful outlook? The forecast might not be as bad as you think.
No. 11 Buckeye Men at No. 1/2 Penn State
| game info | friday | saturday |
|---|---|---|
| Opening Faceoff | 7pm ET | 7pm ET |
| Radio | 1460 AM | 1460 AM |
| Online Stream | BTN Plus ($) | BTN Plus ($) |
The Nittany Lions are probably fresh in your memory. It has only been two weeks since they last tangled with the Bucks. In case you somehow managed to miss that round of hockey talk, Penn State is basically Ohio State with a less picky shot selection and more consistent defense.
The last time these teams met the Buckeyes held PSU to its first goalless outing of the season in a 3-0 win. The Nittany Lions rebounded with a 4-2 victory to even the series. Neither side gained an advantage in the long term race for the regular season Big Ten title and neither team lost ground.
| team stats | ohio state | penn state |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Record | 11-4-5 | 16-2-1 |
| PairWise Ranking | No. 13 | No. 1 |
| Avg. Goals For / Against | 4.20 / 2.75 | 4.58 / 2.00 |
| Power Play / Penalty Kill | 25.6% / 76.1% | 22.3% / 89.0% |
| Points Leader | Nick Schilkey (17-8--25) | Denis Smirnov (11-18--29) |
| Top Goaltender | Christian Frey (2.61/.917) | Peyton Jones (2.04/.918) |
In the week between OSU-PSU skirmishes, the Nittany Lions cruised to a sweep of Michigan State. The Bucks went hot and cold in a series against Arizona State and lost leading scorer Nick Schilkey to injury.
Schilkey’s loss is a blow to an already battered Ohio State roster. Three of the team’s top eight scorers are now laid up to some degree. Matt Weis and Dakota Joshua have been on the shelf since, more or less, the holiday break. Another, Tanner Laczynski, is still getting up to speed since returning from the World Juniors. He was back on the ice last week against the Sun Devils after sitting out the Penn State series.
| b1G standings | w | l | t | sow | pts | pwr | this week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 | No. 8 | at Wisconsin |
| Penn State | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 | No. 1 | vs Ohio State |
| Wisconsin | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | No. 26 | vs Minnesota |
| Ohio State | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | No. 13 | at Penn State |
| Michigan | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | No. 37 | vs Michigan State |
| Michigan State | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | No. 50 | at Michigan |
But fear not, Buckeye fans. OSU’s greatest strength is its scoring depth. Despite the hits it has taken, Ohio State’s roster still boasts a couple of experienced point-per-game players in Dave Gust and Mason Jobst. Both have proven to be consistent contributors and are capable of leading the offensive charge. Jobst is particularly notable for his scoring regularity. He has a point or better in 15 of his last 17 games.
The holes in the roster also provide opportunities for the Bucks’ supporting cast to shine. We have already seen players step into the gap. Junior Kevin Miller (2g) and freshman Ronnie Hein (1g, 1a), both increased their usual production last week against Arizona State. Another player to keep an eye on in this shortened roster is John Wiitala. He is an under-the-radar Buckeye with a good scoring touch.
It would be nice to see Ohio State take the full six points from Penn State this week. However, the Bucks’ roster is thin. I expect the Nittany Lions’ assault to be grueling, and Pegula Arena provides Penn State with a definite home ice advantage. I’ll be happy if the series splits.
A Note About the PairWise Rankings
You might have noticed that the national polls info has now been replaced by the PairWise Rankings in the tables to the right. That's because, in the second half of the season, this is the list that really matters.
Although it is not an official ranking, the PairWise is a reliable predictor of the NCAA tournament field. Sixteen teams make the national tourney. Six of those spots are reserved for the conference tournament champs. This means the magic PairWise number is 10 to guarantee an at-large NCAA tourney berth.
Ohio State currently sits at No. 13. That’s solidly on the bubble. If things were to finish as they stand the Buckeyes would need help to secure an at-large bid, but they would still have a decent shot at the big dance.
You can read more about both the PairWise and the the selection process at USCHO.
Buckeye Women at No. 4 Minnesota
| game info | friday | saturdy |
|---|---|---|
| Opening Faceoff | 8pm ET | 3pm ET |
| Online Stream | BTN Plus ($) | BTN Plus ($) |
The Ohio State women are coming off a split with Bemidji State. The Buckeyes defeated the Beavers, 2-1, in the first game of the series. BSU claimed the second tilt by a score of 3-1.
Now the Bucks head out to Minneapolis to face the No. 4 Golden Gophers. This is never an easy task, but this time around the challenge doesn't seem quite so insurmountable. Minnesota has looked uncommonly vulnerable in recent weeks.
| team state | ohio state | minnesota |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Record | 11-11-2 | 16-5-2 |
| Avg. Goals For / Against | 1.96 / 2/04 | 3.52 / 2.04 |
| Power Play / Penalty Kill | 9.1% / 90.4% | 31.9% / 90.6% |
| Points Leader | Maddy Field (8-9--17) | Kelly Pannek (13-35--48) |
| Top Goaltender | Kassidy Sauve (1.82/.950) | Sidney Peters (1.89/.901) |
The Gophers come into this series after being swept by Minnesota-Duluth. They are 2-3-0 in their last five outings (including an exhibition match vs. the Whitecaps). Minnesota surrendered three or more goals in each of those games.
OSU nearly pulled out an upset win against the Gophers when the teams met back in October. Minnesota eked out one-goal decisions in both halves of that series. In each game the winning tally wasn’t scored until the third period.
| wcha standings | pts | this week |
|---|---|---|
| No. 1 Wisconsin | 47 | vs North Dakota |
| No. 4 Minnesota | 40 | vs Ohio State |
| No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth | 39 | at Bemidji State |
| RV North Dakota | 33 | at Wisconsin |
| Ohio State | 17 | at Minnesota |
| Bemidji State | 16 | vs Minnesota-Duluth |
| St. Cloud State | 14 | vs Minnesota State |
| Minnesota State | 10 | at St. Cloud State |
The Buckeyes’ offense seems to be on the upswing. Leading scorer Maddy Field boasts five points in the last four games. Julianna Iafallo and Dani Sadek each own four points over the same span. Ohio State needs to keep the offensive mojo rolling, steer clear of the penalty box, and continue to get superior goaltending from Kassidy Sauve. But, if everything comes together, conditions might be right for an Ohio State upset.
Or the Bucks will feel the wrath of a talented and cheesed off Gophers squad. We could conceivably see both outcomes. It is a two game series.
