Hockey Preview: Men Celebrate Seniors, Women Begin WCHA Tourney

It’s your favorite time of the week once again. (For fans of vulcanized rubber, anyway.) That’s right, hockey previews! This week the women’s hockey Bucks face a titanic struggle in the first round of the WCHA playoffs. Meanwhile, the men’s team hosts Wisconsin, though the Buckeyes’ most challenging foe may be the man in the mirror.

Men

The Buckeye men welcome Wisconsin to town this week. It isn’t the last time the team will skate in Columbus this season, but it is the last time Ohio State will play at the Schott. (The Bucks host Michigan at Nationwide Arena next Sunday.) So the team will honor seniors Craig Dalrymple, Anthony Greco, and Tyler Lundey in a pregame ceremony this Saturday.

In addition to sending the trio out in style, Ohio State looks keep up the momentum gained from last Saturday’s upset of No. 15 Penn State. While nothing is guaranteed in the Big Ten this year, the Buckeyes have a better-than-usual opportunity to grab points against the cellar dwelling Badgers.

Wisconsin is in much the same boat as OSU this year. The Badgers have a lot of raw talent but it is, well, raw. Like the Buckeyes, they’ve proven they have the skills and desire to achieve victory. And, like the Bucks, at times they've exhibited a lack of seasoning and inconsistent execution. Wisconsin often has a shot at victory, though the team hasn’t often claimed it.  

For example, the Badgers are winless in their last four games. It sounds wholly unimpressive until you investigate a little more closely. Then you’ll see that they were tied with Michigan State well past the midpoint of the third period in each of their games. Not to mention Wisconsin rallied to force overtime against No. 6 Michigan, ultimately losing a shootout decision.

The Buckeyes know firsthand how difficult it can be to finish off the Badgers. When Ohio State visited Wisconsin in January the Bucks seized a 2-0 win in the opener. The back half of the series did not go so smoothly. Twice the Badgers erased two-goal Buckeye leads. Then endured to the shootout where OSU preserved the bonus point. 

Ohio State can be a hot mess, but a focused Buckeye squad should be able to get the job done against Wisconsin. If the team is distracted or gets carried away with the emotions of Senior Week the visitors can easily spoil the festivities. Still, I think cautious optimism is an appropriate mindset for fans this week. 

• If you’re heading out to the rink this week, you can get a rundown of game promotions here. Great Clips Cut-a-thon ftw.

Around the Conference

Michigan topped Minnesota by a 6-2 count last night. The teams wrap up their series at 9pm tonight as the second half of BTN’s hockey doubleheader. With last week’s sweep of Wisconsin, Michigan State hopped Ohio State and moved into fourth place, but otherwise the Big Ten maintained its status quo. 

Women

Last week the Ohio State women wrapped up 2015-16 with a split against (current) No. 10 North Dakota. Despite the strong finish, a tepid overall season landed the Bucks in seventh place in the WCHA and set up a first round conference tournament match up with No. 2 Minnesota.

As you likely suspect, the tale of the tape does not favor OSU in any way at all. The Buckeyes have not defeated the Gophers since 2008. Minnesota is 4-0-0 against Ohio State this season with an average margin of victory of 6+ goals.

The Gophers enter the tourney on a red hot 15 game unbeaten streak, including last week’s double upsets of (then) No. 2 Wisconsin. Minnesota boasts four of the nation’s top 10 scorers in Dani Cameranesi, Hannah Brandt, Sarah Potomak, and Kelly Pannek. And, like that wasn’t enough firepower, Olympian and Patty Kaz winner Amanda Kessel overcame lingering concussion issues to make a triumphant return to the ice.  She has already racked up three goals and three assists in six games.

Under the circumstances, it would be astounding if Ohio State managed to upend Minnesota in the first round. The Bucks might play the game of their lives and knock off the Gophers in a single elimination format, but the odds are exceedingly long against them in the best-of-three series. 

Still, you never expect any Buckeye team to roll out the red carpet and happily escort its opponent to the second round. OSU gained steam late in the season and finished with one of its best series of the year. I expect they’ll carry that momentum to Minnesota and make the Gophers work hard to advance.

• Opening faceoff is set for 8pm ET tonight and 5pm ET on Saturday. If a third game is necessary it will played on Sunday at a time to be determined. This series can be streamed live online with a BTN Plus subscription.