Two things are simultaneously true for Ohio State through two games: the offense is bad, and the offense is better. You can see some of the changes that new OC Justin Tuma is bringing to the table. But there's a lot of poor execution you're seeing that's going to cost Ohio State games this year.
First though, personnel developments. Watching the broadcast, Henry Blake suffered a "lower body injury" sometime in the last 7 days, leading to a Caleb Fyock start. And Fyock responded with 13 saves and just 5 goals against. That's really, really good. In one off-season, this unit went from awful to maybe the deepest on the team.
Offensively, to return to my favorite dead horse, the Buckeyes just aren't clicking. I was worried that so much turnover would lead to a chaotic mess. And it's kind of looking that way. Jack McKenna should be an off ball shooter. Plain and simple. Why they're allowing him to carry the ball is beyond me.
Kurt Bruun should have started last week, and it boggles the mind why he was coming out of the box. Bruun is one of several types of players the Buckeyes haven't recruited in recent years. Bruun's best asset is his off-ball work. And he can really be good if the Buckeyes use him correctly.
Dodging is a major question for the Buckeyes. Again. Credit to Ari Allen for finally learning what a roll dodge is for. But he needs a few thousand more reps before he will be an elite dodger.
Gannon Matthews and Alex Marinier are good when they hit the net, but they, along with the rest of the offense, miss. A ton. This team isn't good enough to be a volume shooting team.
Structurally, you can see some alterations. The Buckeyes used cuts a little more than they have in previous years. Bruun had a great cut get stuffed on the doorstep. But if the team is going to sweep across the top, they need to sell the underneath dodge too. Or just let Alex Marinier hit 45% on the run to his right.
A lot of dodgers are going to get eaten up by Big Ten defenders. We will see if the Buckeyes can adjust.
Defensively, the Buckeyes played really well. Turnovers killed the team early, and passing is pretty bad sometimes. That said, for a freshman goalie to make 13 saves in his first DI game, we are looking at a Wally Pipp situation. I don't know if you can get your spot back after the backup does that.
Tommy Burke is already Ohio State's MVP, and it isn't close. He is so good, the Buckeyes don't even run an LSM out anymore on faceoffs. That's WILD.
Extra Man offense and defense were good today. Kyle Lewis scored on the EMO, while the Buckeyes killed off both penalties against them.
It's hard to draw big conclusions from this game, given the competition, but goalie is finally turning the corner, and the defense is slightly improved over last year. If the offense can get it together, this will be a dangerous team.
That's a big if, though.
Go Bucks! Onto Bellarmine!
