Yet again, my reputation as a Nostradamus of sorts goes down in flames. Far from a shootout, Ohio State ground out a defensive victory over former Ohio State coach Joe Breschi and North Carolina. Game ball has to go to Skylar Wahlund, who bailed out the Buckeyes tremendously with his performance in cage.

Neither team was very good offensively all day, though Ohio State's struggles had as much to do with their inability to clear as it did North Carolina's prowess.

Last year's problems raised their ugly heads once again, as Jack Myers only registered 1 goal on 8 shots, and contributed just 1 assist. As you might expect from such a low-scoring game, no Buckeye had more than 2 points all day.

That's the bad news. The good news is that Ohio State scored North Carolina's entire output in the 4th quarter. With a 5-1 run, Ohio State went from down 1, to a fairly comfortable 3-goal W. Given this team's past tendency to crumble under pressure, this was a welcome change.

Kyle Borda scored both his goals in the final quarter, which would have been enough to tie things up for OT, and three other Buckeyes also scored to send UNC home losers. The 4th quarter outburst was due to a combination of unsettled play, and individual efforts. This is the first time in a long, long time that Ohio State has won based on that. We should feel good about this.

In goal, as I mentioned, Skylar Wahlund was tremendous. Put up 12 saves, a save percentage of 70%, and only allow 5 goals, you're doing All-American work. Kudos to Skylar, who has morphed into a much better player than anyone thought he would be after his first three years as a Buckeye.

The biggest area of concern for Ohio State, other than the fact that it looks like a ton of talent for the offense isn't playing this year, is the faceoff game. Ohio State won just 41% of the faceoffs, which also heavily contributed to their struggles.

Drew Blanchard was doing well early, he will need to return to form as Ohio State hits murderer's row on their next few games. Virginia, Cornell, and Notre Dame are way too good to play that poorly and still get a win. Luckily, Ohio State really only needs one win from their next three to be in terrific shape for the second consecutive trip to the NCAAs.

That would be the first time in 20 years this has happened. So, plenty to cheer for as we head into a massive 3-game stretch.

All in all, while much closer than it needed to be, Ohio State won a difficult game at home, while playing much less than its best game. That's a recipe for success, as long as things get fixed. If we see improvement over the season, watch out in April and May. These Buckeyes will go places.

Next up, Virginia.

Go Bucks!