Buckeyes Rolled By Michigan in First Half Finale

Tonight's Ohio State-Michigan game marked the first time this season the Buckeyes were broadcast on BTN. For a lot of OSU fans across the country this was their first look at this season's squad. Those people may not believe what I am about to say, but Ohio State is a much better team than the one you just watched.

I'm not sure where to start with this game. I hope you aren't expecting me to take you through the game, goal by goal. We haven't got the space for that. Suffice it to say that the Buckeyes made mistakes and the Wolverines made them pay for every single one. 

I expect Christian Frey will get his share of the blame from fans, and he most certainly did not have his A game tonight. I don't think he even had his B game. But the responsibility for such an embarrassing loss really belongs to the team as a whole. 

The Buckeyes' game was messy from the opening faceoff. Turnovers, an inability to win faceoffs, small mental mistakes turned into major oops. Michigan's play was also far from crisp. Early on it seemed like Ohio State's energy might make up for their less than stellar execution. 

The Bucks did begin the game with a terrific energy. Anthony Greco in particular generated some good scoring chances. Matt Johnson put OSU on the board first with a goal at the 10:04 mark. The senior threw a shot at the net that knuckled by Zach Nagelvoort. 

OSU's early lead wouldn't last long. Michigan tied things up a couple minutes later and proceeded, throughout the course of the game, to open up a can on the Buckeyes. The Wolverines reeled off eight total goals, four of them coming with the man advantage. Greco and Nick Schilkey added Buckeye goals but Michigan was never in danger of losing its grip on this game. 

After the fourth goal Frey was relieved by Matt Tomkins. Tomkins didn't fare any better. He played about 15 minutes and was beat by another four pucks. Third string goalie Logan Davis manned the net for the final 18:49 of the game. The sophomore turned aside all five shots that he faced. 

More distressing than the score was the fact that, when faced with adversity, the Buckeyes utterly and completely lost their composure. They took foolish penalties and got caught up in post-whistle skirmishes rather than refocusing and correcting their mistakes. 

This is definitely the low point of the first half for Ohio State and they're going to have a long time to think about it. The team is headed for its holiday break. The Bucks won't return to action until after New Year's. 

It's difficult to remember right now, but the Buckeyes have good people behind the bench and character in the locker room. Perhaps an extended break and a fresh start are just what the team needs. 

No. 8 Duluth Edges Women in Shootout

The ladies of Ohio State and Minnesota-Duluth waged another closely-contested war on Friday night.  Neither team gained an advantage in the opening frame. Shots were evenly distributed, 8-8. 

Danielle Gagne cracked the goose egg at the midpoint of the game. Kari Schmitt and Claudia Kepler assisted on the play. The Buckeyes' 1-0 lead would stand until the early minutes of the third period. UMD's Ashleigh Brykaliuk cashed in on a power play opportunity, knotting the game at 1-1. 

The Buckeyes forged ahead once again. Power play assassin Taylor Kuehl struck at the 8:32 mark with help from Kari and Sara Schmitt. The lead stood for nearly eight minutes. Then a Katerina Mrazova tally drew the Bulldogs even. 

The teams battled through the overtime period. Neither was able to seize victory so the game went to a shootout. Duluth's Jenna McParland was the only player to find the net in the skills comp. Both teams earn one point for the tie. UMD gets an extra point for the shootout win. 

Ohio State and Minnesota-Duluth go toe-to-toe again tomorrow evening. The game begins at 6pm. Admission, as always, is 100% free.