Shake off any lingering turkey comas, puck heads. We’ve got a big weekend ahead of us. The No. 5 women’s hockey Bucks square off against another top 10 team, Robert Morris. On the men’s side, the greatest rivalry in sports takes to the ice.
No. 15 Buckeye Men at No. 17 Michigan
| Game Info | Friday | Saturday |
|---|---|---|
| Opening Faceoff | 6:30 p.m. | 7:30 p.m. |
| Television | BTN | None |
| Radio | 1460 AM | 1460 AM |
| Online Video | BTN2Go ($) | MGoBlueTV ($) |
The series is a clash between the nation’s No. 3 offense (Michigan) and No. 3 defense (Ohio State). The Buckeyes are coming off a bye week. Last time out the Wolverines lost to, then tied No. 9/10 Wisconsin. They claimed the shootout win for an extra conference point.
Michigan is 6-4-2 overall and 2-2-2-1 in the Big Ten. The Wolverines are exceeding understandably low preseason expectations. After all this is essentially the same team which went 13-19-3 last year and finished fifth in the B1G.
| Team Stats | Ohio State | Michigan |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 6-3-3, 1-3-0-0 B1G | 6-4-2, 2-2-2-1 B1G |
| Avg. Goals For / Against | 2.50 / 2.00 | 3.83 / 3.33 |
| Power Play / Penalty Kill | 11.8% / 91.3% | 17.9% / 84% |
| Points Leader | Tanner Laczynski (4-9--13) | Cooper Marody (4-16--20) |
| Top Goaltender | Sean Romeo (1.73/.924) | Hayden Lavigne (3.01/.895) |
But this is a new year under a new head coach. First year bench boss Mel Pearson is shaping Michigan into a dangerous team. In its 12 games the squad has suffered only two regulation losses, the first to current No. 5 Clarkson and the second last week to the Badgers.
These results are the product of a greatly improved offense. The Wolverines’ offensive stats resemble those of last year’s high flying Buckeyes. They boast two point-per-game players, as well as two others just off the pace (11 points in 12 games).
With that kind of firepower no game is ever out of reach for Michigan. It’s a fact the team has already proven with separate three and four goal rallies against Minnesota. But while no opponent’s lead is safe from the Michigan offense, neither is any Wolverine lead safe from the Michigan defense. Three times this season the team has seen its third period leads erased.
Shaky defense seems to be the only thing holding Michigan back from total domination. The Wolverines allow an average of 3.33 goals per game. There are only a dozen teams in the country with a worse mark. They bring up the rear in the Big Ten with a dreadful average of 4.67 goals against per conference game.
In the battle of offense vs. defense, defense usually comes out on top. But this is Ohio State and Michigan. Numbers mean nothing. And the Bucks have struggled in Big Ten play this year. While they’ve allowed 2+ goals in just two of their eight non-conference outings, the Buckeyes have given up 3+ in three of their four B1G contests.
One thing is for sure, you don’t want to the switch these games off early. Both teams tend to start slow and strengthen as the tilt goes on. Each squad has recorded half its goals in the third period. BTN airs the series opener live on your televisions tonight at 6:30 p.m.
No. 5 Buckeye Women at No. 9 Robert Morris
| Game Info | Friday | Saturday |
|---|---|---|
| Opening Faceoff | 7pm ET | 2pm ET |
| Online Video | via RMU ($) | via RMU ($) |
Ohio State heads to Pittsburgh this week for a top 10 showdown with the Colonials. The Bucks are coming off a four point week at Bemidji State. They had their hands full with a tough young Beavers team but avoided an outright loss. Now they turn their attention to a big non-conference battle with nationally ranked Robert Morris.
| Team Stats | Ohio State | Robert Morris |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 10-2-2, 8-2-2-1 WCHA | 9-1-2, 4-0-2 CHA |
| Avg. Goals For / Against | 3.29 / 2.29 | 4.33 / 1.75 |
| Power Play / Penalty Kill | 16.7 % / 82.2 % | 20.4% / 88.2% |
| Points Leader | Emma Maltais (7-10--17) | Brittany Howard (14-9--23) |
| Top Goaltender | Kassidy Sauve (2.31/.925) | Elijah Milne-Price (1.20/.943) |
The Colonials recorded a 24-5-6 record and a program best .771 winning percentage last season. The team appears poised for another notable year. RMU is currently 9-1-2 overall and leads the CHA by a wide margin.
Robert Morris’ high flying offense powers those results. The team’s biggest threat is Brittany Howard. She rolled into the season with 132 career points. She continues to produce at a furious rate. The senior has 23 points in 12 games.
Led by Howard, the Colonials are outscoring their opponents by about two and a half goals per game. The last time the team was in action it outshot RIT by a combined total of 118-34. RMU has posted 40+ shots in five of their games this season.
Yet Robert Morris has not faced much challenging competition. (Only one of RMU's opponents possesses more than two wins.) And when the team has faced a tough opponent, it has proved vulnerable. The Colonials dropped a decision to a tough Maine squad earlier this year. They were also unable to secure victory over a scrappy Penn State crew, battling the Nittany Lions to a pair of ties.
