Men’s Hockey Starts Season at No. 10/12 Wisconsin, Women Prep for No. 4 Minnesota

This week brings a full slate of Buckeye hockey games. Ohio State's men visit No. 10/12 Wisconsin to crack the seal on both the overall and Big Ten seasons. Meanwhile the OSU women (2-0-0) look to keep their momentum going in their conference opener at No. 4 Minnesota.

No. 19 OSU Men at No. 10/12 Wisconsin

The Buckeye men kick off both their season and Big Ten campaign this week with a series at Wisconsin. The Badgers’roster took a beating with the early departure of No. 1 scorer Luke Kunin and the graduation of top contributors like Grant Besse and Aidan Cavallini. However the team refreshes its roster with a quality freshman class which features one-time OSU commits, the Dhooghe brothers, and Florida Panthers draft pick Tyler Inamoto.

The most notable incoming Badger isn’t a freshman at all but rather a graduate transfer. Goaltender Kyle Hayton was last season’s ECAC Goalie of the Year and a semi-finalist for the Mike Richter Award (top goalie in the NCAA). He is a former All-American and  Hobey Baker nominee. Hayton leaves St. Lawrence as the program’s No. 1 or No. 2 in wins, saves, save percentage, goals against average, shutouts, and minutes played. 

Wisconsin enters this week’s series fresh off a 3-2 win over Michigan Tech. Swedish freshman Linus Weissbach netted two goals in that contest including the game winner. Hayton stopped 20 shots in his first victory as a Badger.

A Look Back at 2016-17

The Buckeyes parlayed an opening night upset of No. 3 Denver and solid results in a strong Big Ten into an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament. Ohio State boasted the nation’s third ranked offense (3.92 goals per game) and its No. 1 power play (31.6%). Defensively the team skated by despite an average of 2.90 goals against per game (No. 30 in the NCAA) and an abysmal penalty kill (74.5%) which rated fourth worst in the country.

Roster Review

Ohio State returns a healthy percentage of last season’s team, but loses key players at every position. Nick Schilkey and Dave Gust combined for 35 goals in 2016-17. Drew Brevig and Josh Healey were leaders on the blue line. Additionally, the team graduated every goalie that had experience in the OSU net.

Ohio State welcomes six freshmen this season. Austin Pooley is the son of former Buckeye star Perry Pooley. Eugene Fadyeyev (F), Michael Rounds (D), Grant Gabriele (D), Tommy Nappier (G), and Evan Moyse (G) round out the rookie corps. In addition to its freshman class, OSU welcomes transfers Wyatt Ege (D) and Sean Romeo (G) and new staff hires J.B. Bittner, Steve Miller, Dustin Carlson, Dave Caruso, and Lee Harris.

Team Prognosis

Even considering the firepower the team lost, I don't think scoring will be much of an issue for the Scarlet and Gray this year. 2016-17’s leading point getter, Mason Jobst, is back along with a number of other veterans who made significant contributions to last season’s potent offense. Jobst was named one of the Big Ten’s Preseason Players to Watch along with Buckeye senior Matt Weis.

Philadelphia Flyers prospect Tanner Laczynski is flying somewhat under the radar as a player to keep an eye on. He posted 10 goals and 22 assists in his rookie season even after contracting a lingering bit of the plague midway through the World Juniors. Look for a notable step forward for Laczynski in 2017-18. Ditto Toronto Maple Leafs selection Dakota Joshua who doubled his freshman point total in last year’s sophomore campaign.

Without a doubt the concern for the Buckeyes is in their own end. Healey and Brevig leave a couple big holes in what has only been a mediocre defense at best. If this season is to avoid trainwreck status, the Bucks are going to need a vastly improved defensive effort from the entire team, not just the defenders, in front of their untried goalies.

Unfortunately the Buckeyes are not off to a stellar start. They had no trouble reeling off four goals in last week's exhibition game. However they coughed up a three goal lead in the latter half of the contest and were soundly defeated by Ryerson.

Season Outlook

It is going to be difficult for Ohio State to make a repeat trip to the NCAA tournament this year. Even if the Buckeyes overcome their defensive challenges and perform to last season's standard, they’re still unlikely to be headed to the big tourney because they do not have many opportunities for quality wins outside the Big Ten. Of the five non-Big Ten foes on the team’s slate, only Robert Morris posted a winning record in 2016-17. The Bucks' remaining four non-conference series are likely to do bupkis for their PairWise rank. 

Unlike OSU’s underwhelming non-conference opposition, the Big Ten is stacked for another strong season. No. 3 Minnesota returns a veteran team including two-time Big Ten Goaltender of the Year Eric Schierhorn. The Gophers also bring talented rookies on board like NHL first-rounder Casey Mittelstadt (Buffalo Sabres, eighth selection overall).

No. 11/10 Penn State returns much of the roster that won last season’s Big Ten tournament and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tourney. As I mentioned before, Wisconsin is stacked with fresh talent. Plus the Big Ten adds No. 8 Notre Dame this season. The Irish ousted Minnesota from the NCAA tournament last spring and should challenge the long-reigning conference champs for the B1G crown right away.

Theoretically Ohio State could do well enough in a powerful Big Ten to warrant an at-large bid based solely on the strength of its conference schedule but I think that's unlikely. The coaches placed the Buckeyes fifth in the Big Ten’s preseason poll. I could see them finishing one spot up or one spot down from there depending on how well the team comes together defensively. Overall, though, I’m with the coaches this year in surmising a fifth place finish.

OSU Women at No. 4 Minnesota

Ohio State’s women roll into Minnesota off a season opening sweep of Rensselaer. Freshman Tatum Skaggs struck twice in Friday’s contest to lead Scarlet and Gray to a 4-1 victory. She chipped in another tally in Saturday’s 4-0 win and Kassidy Sauve stymied 21 shots en route to her program best thirteenth career shutout.

The Bucks face a significantly more difficult challenge this week against fourth ranked Minnesota. Thanks to graduation and Olympic centralization the Gophers are replacing their top six scorers this year, a group that accounted for nearly 70% of all Minnesota’s points in 2016-17.

The Gophers come into this week’s series off a split with unranked Merrimack. Yeah, you read that correctly. Minnesota surrendered three unanswered goals last Friday and fell, 4-3. The team rallied in the series finale and defeated the Warriors, 4-1.

Minnesota is not quite the juggernaut we’re used to seeing, but the Gophers are still a formidable and talented squad. This series will be a good barometer of just how improved Ohio State truly is. Last season the Buckeyes battled Minnesota to three single-goal losses and one shootout decision. I expect this week’s series to be another close one, only this time I wouldn’t be surprised to see a little bit better results for the Bucks.

• Freshman Tatum Skaggs was named the WCHA’s Offensive Player of the Week for her four point (3-1--4) series against Rensselaer. Jincy Dunne (three blocks, +2) earned an honorable mention for Defensive Player of the Week.