With a few days to take stock, review the game, and reflect, I can safely say that the Virginia contest is indicative of the many trials this program has undergone with the current staff. With 5 years of dreadful recruiting, Ohio State isn't a developmental team, a stud-filled team, or a team on the rise.
The roster remains in this weird limbo of really talented, but extremely raw, true freshmen and undertalented, but experienced, upperclassmen who really should be 2nd- or 3rd stringers for the team to really be in contention. You can see the results of it from the Virginia outcome. It's getting a little too late for the "still figuring this out" line to hold water.
At any rate, there's already a Virginia recap, so we will move to Cornell. Much like the Cavs, Cornell is finding its footing after shaky opening games. The Big Red come to Columbus after a lopsided win over Hobart. In their previous two matchups, Cornell had struggled a bit. Now, the team is starting to fire on all cylinders.
Offensively, CJ Kirst (#15) has really made a mark in 2023. Kirst is the only Cornell player in double digit points (16 goals, 5 assists), and scored 7 times in the romp over Hobart. Ohio State will need to shut Kirst down to have a successful afternoon.
Michael Long (#1) is the other major threat for Cornell, but he hasn't played all season. This seems to be another Ari Allen situation. Brian Piatelli (#26) and Billy Coyle (#11) are the statistical help that Ohio State will need to account for defensively as well. But, if we are being honest, Kirst is going to be Cornell's main option for points all day long.
The good news is that Ohio State is REALLY good at shutting down a main threat. The bad news is that the other pieces for an opponent can find opportunities, if they're capable enough. We will see how that works out for Cornell soon.
Defensively, Cornell has been STOUT. The competition has been very, very weak (Albany, Lehigh, Hobart), but Cornell is only allowing 7.67 goals per game. The Big Red is also only allowing opponents to score on 20.5% of their shots. That's a really, really good stat.
It all starts down low with Gavin Adler (#77). Adler famously shut down Jack Myers last year, and will draw the same assignment this year. Ohio State will need to get its own supporting pieces in order to come out with the W. I had thought Adler moved on, but clearly he will anchor Cornell's defense.
The other starters for Cornell will be Jayson Singer (#43) and Jack Follows (#45). They will have to hold their own so LaCalandra and Shean don't make the Big Red pay.
At faceoff, Cornell is just bad. They're only winning 41% of draws on the year, so this should be a big opportunity for Drew Blanchard to dominate the game. Ohio State will need every chance it has to get the ball past Chayse Ierlan (#22).
Also back this year, Ierlan is fresh off a 16-save outing against Hobart, where he also kept the Statesmen to just 7 goals. Between Adler and Ierlan, Cornell has a really good defensive presence. Ierlan is saving just under 59% of his shots this year, which is really good. The Buckeyes will need to be in top form to really have a shot.
On special teams, Cornell is absolutely excellent. They're scoring 50% of the time on the Man Up, and holding teams to 17% on the Man Down. Those are sparkling numbers, and both are much better than Ohio State's current performances. Which makes sense, given Cornell's current roster.
This will be a tough hill to climb for Ohio State. Things are not really set up for them to be successful on offense, but defensively they're also pretty well matched up. I firmly believe that this game will be low scoring. I do not think Ohio State comes out on top. Too many offensive issues if Myers gets shut down, which seems likely.
It's close, but Cornell prevails.
Final Prediction: Cornell 8, Ohio State 6.
Go Bucks!
