Last week the men's hockey Buckeyes earned the program's first ever sweep of Minnesota. Ohio State surrendered only two goal in the series, thanks in large part to the stellar goaltending of junior Sean Romeo. Today the Big Ten honors him with a well-deserved First Star of the Week distinction. It is the second conference accolade for Romeo this season.
| Men's Hockey | Individual Honors | Week |
|---|---|---|
| Mason Jobst, Jr. F | B1G First Star of the Week | No. 2 |
| Sean Romeo, Jr. G | B1G Third Star of the Week | No. 4 |
| Tanner Laczynksi, So. F | NCAA First Star of the Week | No. 5 |
| Tanner Laczynksi, So. F | B1G Second Star of the Week | No. 5 |
| Tanner Laczynksi, So. F | B1G Second Star of the Week | No. 9 |
| Sean Romeo, Jr. G | B1G First Star of the Week | No. 11 |
Though the scorers stole the headlines, the junior netminder was the cornerstone to the Bucks’ success last week. Romeo stopped 33 shots in each game of the series. The Cary, North Carolina native held Minnesota to a single goal in both Friday and Saturday’s contests. He contributed 16 saves to a Buckeye penalty kill that held the Gophers scoreless in 10 attempts.
Romeo’s consistently solid, occasionally spectacular netminding has definitively answered the preseason questions about the Buckeye net. He ranks among the nation’s top 10 goaltenders in both save percentage (.928) and GAA (1.93). Romeo has allowed two or fewer goals in 11 of Ohio State’s 18 games. He deserves a healthy slice of credit for the Buckeyes’ winning record (10-4-4, 5-4-1-0 B1G), as well as their fifth ranked defense (2.11) and best-in-the-NCAA penalty kill (92.8%).
Romeo and the Bucks have a couple weeks off. They return to action after the holiday break when they host Niagara. The series is set for December 29-30 with a 7pm ET start on Friday. Saturday's opening faceoff is slated for 8pm ET.
Where do they rank?
The Buckeye men’s sweep moved them into the top 10. They come in at No. 9 in both the USCHO and USA Today/USA Hockey polls. The women’s hockey Bucks don't lose any ground on their bye week. They hold steady at No. 7 in the polls.
