Two schools, one nickname. Both the men’s and women’s hockey teams both face opponents named after cows this week.
Men
After getting off to a rocky start against Canisius last week Ohio State recovered and put together a decent series. The Buckeyes look to build on their modest success this week against the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks.
| UNO | vs | OSU |
|---|---|---|
| 4-1-1 | Overall Record | 2-3-1 |
| 19 | National Polls | RV |
| 3.00 (T-19th) | Avg. Goals Scored | 2.50 (T-34th) |
| 1.83 (T-9th) | Avg. Goals Allowed | 2.83 (T34th) |
| 12.9% (34th) | Power Play | 20.8% (15th) |
| 89.7% (T-13th) | Penalty Kill | 85.7% (T-25th) |
The Mavs bid farewell to one of the best senior classes in the country last season so you might reasonably expect 2014-15 to be a down year for the team. You might be wrong. Through the first month of the season UNO has only one black mark on its record, a loss to (current) No. 13 Minnesota State.
Sophomore forwards Jake Guentzel (4-5--9) and Austin Ortega (3-6--9) lead the team in scoring. Senior Ryan Massa has been a beast between the pipes. Through five games he boasts a stingy 1.38 GAA and .952 save percentage. All three players’ numbers are among the nation’s elite.
The Mavericks are a young squad, but they’re talented and they have experience in net. Plus they’re a Dean Blais team and Blais’ teams are always tough. They’ll be a challenge for a Buckeye team still finding its legs this season.
Both tonight’s game and Saturday’s are set for a 7pm start. There’s a full slate of coverage for the series including video via BTN2Go. Ohio State’s Game Day page has all your following-along links organized right here.
Tonight is Military Appreciation Night at the Schott. The Buckeyes will wear camouflage jerseys during the game which will be auctioned off to benefit Defending the Blue Line. Fans can show military ID at the box office and concessions for discounted tickets and noshes.
| rk | big ten | w | l | t | this week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RV | Michigan | 2 | 5 | 0 | Bye |
| Michigan State | 2 | 4 | 0 | at New Hampshire | |
| 1 | Minnesota | 5 | 1 | 0 | vs No. 15 Notre Dame |
| RV | Ohio State | 2 | 3 | 1 | vs No. 19 Nebraska-Omaha |
| RV | Penn State | 5 | 1 | 2 | Bye |
| Wisconsin | 0 | 4 | 0 | vs No. 2 North Dakota |
Women
Ohio State comes into this series off a split with St. Cloud. The Buckeyes are still working the kinks out of their game, but October was a largely positive month for the Buckeyes.
| OSU | vs | MSU |
|---|---|---|
| 5-3-0 | Overall Record | 0-7-1 |
| n/a | National Polls | n/a |
| 2.00 (T-20th) | Avg. Goals Scored | 1.00 (T-34th) |
| 2.12 (15th) | Avg. Goals Allowed | 3.62 (32nd) |
| 5.6% (32nd) | Power Play | 5% (33rd) |
| 85.7% (T-18th) | Penalty Kill | 71.1% (33rd) |
The same cannot be said for the lady Bucks’ opponents this week.
There really aren’t any easy series in the WCHA. It’s arguably the toughest division in women’s college hockey. Every team is battle hardened and capable of winning on any given night.
That said the Mavs look to be one of OSU’s least terrifying conference foes this season. They’re winless in eight games this season. They’ve scored one goal or less in seven of those games.
To be fair they’ve played some tough opponents. North Dakota, Mercyhurst, and Duluth are all top-ten teams. And Minnesota State did come within a goal of both UND and Mercyhurst, losing 2-1 on each occasion. Overall, though, the picture isn’t pretty.
A pair of freshmen, Nicole Schammel (3-1--4) and Hannah Davidson (0-4--4), top MSU’s scoring chart. Senior goalie Erin Krichiver (3.73 GAA, .910 SV%) has seen the bulk of the Mavs’ net time.
Minnesota State is probably not quite as bad as they look on paper, but given their early season results one would expect the lady Bucks to have a successful weekend in Mankato. Game times are 6pm tonight and 1pm Saturday which is 7pm and 2pm in Ohio time. MSU has links for live stats and video here.
| rk | wcha | w | l | t | sow | pts | this week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Wisconsin | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 22 | Bye |
| 2 | Minnesota | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 17 | Bye |
| 9 | Minnesota-Duluth | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | Bye |
| 10 | North Dakota | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | Bye |
| Ohio State | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | at Minnesota State | |
| St. Cloud State | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | vs RPI (non-conference) | |
| Bemidji State | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 5 | Bye | |
| Minnesota State | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | vs Ohio State |
