Hello, hockey fans and welcome to your weekly puck preview. We’ve got a double dip of Ohio State vs. Penn State this week. The men’s teams meet in Columbus while the women tangle at State College. Read on for more series details.
Men vs. No. 2 Penn State
Ohio State men’s hockey continues its home stand. This week the Buckeyes welcome the current big cheese of the Big Ten, Penn State. The Nittany Lions are 13-1-1 on the season. They last saw action on December 2 when they wrapped up a decisive sweep of Michigan.
| game info | friday | saturday |
|---|---|---|
| Opening Faceoff | 7pm ET | 8pm ET |
| Radio | 1460 AM | 1460 AM |
| Online Video | BTN Plus ($) | BTN Plus ($) |
Penn State operates with a hard working, keep-it-simple, shoot-first mentality. The Nittany Lions lead the nation in shots on goal per game (48.27) and shot margin per game (+24.13). No other team is even close to these numbers.
It’s not a new strategy. It has been PSU’s modus operandi since entering D-I hockey. The team is just employing it more effectively than ever this season.
| team stats | Penn State | OSU men |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Record | 13-1-1 | 9-3-4 |
| National Polls | No. 2 | No. 11 |
| Avg. Goals For / Against | 4.87 / 1.87 | 4.44 / 3.00 |
| Power Play / Penalty Kill | 22.7% / 92.5% | 24.3% / 74.7% |
| Points Leader | Denis Smirnov (27) | Tanner Laczynski (22) |
| Top Goaltender | Peyton Jones (1.97/.920) | Matt Tomkins (2.60/.900) |
Through the first half of the year Penn State averaged more goals per game (4.87) than any other team in college hockey. The team has not been held to fewer than three goals in any game this season. While the high flying offense garnered the headlines, the Nittany Lions’ defense rose to No. 3 overall in goals against per game (1.87).
Two freshmen are leading the way for Penn State. Forward Denis Smirnov (10-17--27) is the NCAA’s highest scoring rookie and ranks No. 10 among all college players. In net Peyton Jones has been a break out sensation. He boasts a puny 1.97 GAA and a .920 save percentage.
| rnk | b1G standings | w | l | t | sow | pts | this week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 9 | Minnesota | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | Bye |
| No. 2 | Penn State | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | at Ohio State |
| No. 11 | Ohio State | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | vs Penn State |
| RV | Wisconsin | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | vs Michigan State |
| Michigan | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | Bye | |
| Michigan State | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | at Wisconsin |
The only strike against the Nittany Lions is that they’ve played a weak schedule. Of their 15 games to date only four have been against teams with a winning record. However, when the opportunity came to test its mettle against a quality opponent, Penn State got the job done. The team split a series with current No. 16 St. Lawrence and beat and tied current No. 12 Notre Dame.
PSU is one of the biggest challenges Ohio State will face this season, but the Buckeyes can rise to the occasion and make this a productive series. They don’t have any trouble matching the Nittany Lions’ scoring ability. The Bucks average over four goals a game as well.
However they will need to show improvement in two key areas in order to achieve victory. First, given the expected barrage of shots, good goaltending is crucial. Ohio State's netminding has not been spectacular this season. It cannot afford to surrender any bad goals this week.
Second, the Buckeyes must match Penn State’s work ethic and attention to detail. This is something the team struggled with in its most recent outing. Ultimately neglect of “the little things” led to a third period collapse and a loss to Miami. If Ohio State does gain the upper hand in this series I suspect it will be due to notable contributions from the Buckeyes’ third and fourth lines.
Laczynski and Team USA Win Gold at WJC
Great googly moogly, the World Juniors didn’t disappoint this year. After edging by Russia in a semifinal shootout, Team USA defeated Canada in an thrilling Group B rematch (ultimately decided by a shootout) to win their fourth World Junior Championship overall and their third in the last eight tournaments. Ohio State’s Tanner Laczynski contributed a goal and an assist in the tourney. He is the second Buckeye to win a gold medal at the WJC. Ryan Kesler also accomplished the feat with Team USA in 2004.
Women at Penn State
The Buckeye women face a road series at Penn State this week. It’s a non-conference battle. (Get your acts together and field D-I women’s teams, Michigan schools!)
| game info | friday | saturday |
|---|---|---|
| Opening Faceoff | 6pm ET | 2pm ET |
| Online Video | BTN Plus ($) | BTN Plus ($) |
OSU is back in action for the first time since December 10. That weekend was a rough one for the Buckeyes. They were defeated in back-to-back contests on home ice by No. 1 Wisconsin. (Though, on the bright side, the Bucks extended their run of flawless penalty kills to 14 consecutive games.)
| team stats | osu women | Penn State |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Record | 8-10-2 | 5-11-4 |
| National Polls | Receiving Votes | N/A |
| Avg. Goals For / Against | 1.65 / 2.25 | 2.55 / 2.90 |
| Power Play / Penalty Kill | 7.0% / 91.5% | 18.3% / 82.8% |
| Points Leader | Maddy Field (12) | Laura Bowman (25) |
| Top Goaltender | Kassidy Sauve (2.01/.946) | Daniela Paniccia (2.26/.928) |
Ohio State looks to get back on track in the New Year with a solid weekend at PSU. The Buckeyes need to find some consistent offense in the second half to alleviate some of the burden from Kassidy Sauve and the defense. A non-conference match up may be just what the doctor ordered.
The Bucks are undefeated in non-WCHA games this season. They are 4-0-0 with series sweeps of Rensselaer and Lindenwood. In those four games Ohio State outscored its opponents 13-1.
Penn State broke the seal on its second half campaign last week. The Nittany Lions are coming off a narrow loss to No. 8 Quinnipiac and a tie with Princeton. Dangerous, veteran scorers Laura Bowman and Amy Petersen will test the Buckeye defense.
- Ohio State will be without head coach Nadine Muzerall this week. She is in Europe serving as an assistant coach for Canada’s Under-22 squad at the 2017 Nations Cup.
