Hockey Set to Battle at No. 6 Omaha, Windjammer Classic

Happy holiday weekend, readers. While football is the focus of most of Buckeye nation, this weekend is also jam-packed with hockey games. Ohio State's men head west for a battle against No. 6 Nebraska-Omaha and the women's team skates in Vermont's inaugural Windjammer Classic.

Men

After a week of rest and rejuvenation Ohio State returns to action on the road in Nebraska. The sixth ranked Mavericks welcome the Buckeyes to their brand new digs at Baxter Arena. Nebraska-Omaha is undefeated in the new barn and one of the hottest teams in the nation. 

Last season the Mavericks made the Frozen Four for the first time in school history. After losing key goaltender Ryan Massa (1.65/.939) to graduation UNO was expected to take a bit of a step back this year. Instead the team ran off six straight wins to start the 2015-16 season. A bad trip to Western Michigan resulted in the Mavs’ first losses of the year. Since then they’ve been near unstoppable, going 3-0-1 against then No. 6 Minnesota-Duluth and OSU nemesis Miami.

Nine NHL draft picks help Omaha’s cause including junior Jake Guentzel, a Pittsburgh Penguins prospect. The third-rounder is currently the NCAA’s third highest point scorer. Undrafted classmate Austin Ortega shares the national lead in goals scored with nine lamp lighters. 

With that kind of firepower the Mavericks only need their netminders to be reasonably solid. So far they are more than up to the task. Freshman goalie Evan Weninger has the better stats but he and junior Kirk Thompson (2.98/.893) have split the net time equally.

A Buckeye win would be nice and is within the realm of possibility but it’s going to be tough. Omaha is a team that wastes no time getting on the board. The Mavs are outscoring opponents 16-5 in the first period this season. They are 7-0-1 when scoring first.

While the team is making significant progress the Buckeyes have not yet displayed that kind of jump on a regular basis. They also have a bye week’s worth of rust in their legs. An early deficit will be difficult to overcome against the high flying Mavericks.

However, if they can match Nebraska-Omaha's initial intensity the Bucks may have a chance at an upset. Before the bye week Ohio State was enjoying its most productive stretch of the season. The Buckeyes were winners of three straight and on fire offensively, racking up 20 goals in the last five games. 

Either way, the results of this series don’t matter too much. It’s most important that the Bucks get back up to speed quickly and lay a foundation of solid hockey for next week’s Big Ten opener at Minnesota. 

Leftovers

• OSU defenseman Josh Healey will sit out tonight’s contest as he serves his single game suspension.
• Nebraska-Omaha leads the NCAA in shorthanded goals. Jake Guentzel and Justin Parizek lead the team with two each.
• Five of Austin Ortega’s nine goals were game winners for the Mavericks.
• This series is Ohio State’s second-to-last non-conference showdown. The Bucks will head south after Christmas for a holiday tournament with No. 1 Providence, No. 2 Boston College, and No. 16 Cornell.

Around the Conference

Holy crap on a cracker the Big Ten is a mess. It’s running about .500 as a conference and has a combined record of 3-19-4 against ranked opponents. In next week’s preview, as we finally get into some B1G games, I’ll try to hit the high points of the non-conference games and sort out which teams are contenders. Prepare your predictions!

Women

After a disappointing sweep by St. Cloud last week, Ohio State looks to rebound in Vermont where the Catamounts host the inaugural Windjammer Classic. The Buckeyes face the home team on Saturday before taking on Boston University on Sunday afternoon. Cornell (3-5-2) is also participating in the tournament but the Buckeyes will not face Big Red.

Although this is Vermont’s tourney the Catamounts are not expected to win it. The team struggles offensively, averaging about a goal and a half per game. The Catamounts have also been shut out five times this season. And this is in Hockey East, a conference that typically sees more scoring than its western brethren. 

As the only invitee with a winning record, Ohio State’s second opponent, BU, is the tournament favorite. The Terriers boast the country’s sixth best offense, scoring upwards of three goals in each outing.

The squad has three players averaging at least a point per game. Junior Maddie Elia leads the team with 10 goals, a number which puts her among the NCAA’s best scorers. The Terriers are more mortal defensively, but generally as long as they hold their opponents under four goals they have a shot at victory.

It’s always a challenge to determine the Buckeyes’ chances against East Coast teams. Their paths rarely cross and the East/West styles of play are markedly different. If I were to hazard a guess I’d say the Buckeyes ought to beat Vermont but that Boston is a tall order given the Terriers’ scoring prowess, particularly when you factor in the Bucks’ injury depleted defense corps and penchant for taking penalties.