It’s game day, hockey fans! In fact, it’s only about 15 minutes until your fifth-ranked Buckeye women get underway in Duluth. The OSU men and the best rivalry in sports hit the ice a bit later this evening.
No. 6 Buckeye Men vs. No. 17 Michigan
| Game Info | Friday | Saturday |
|---|---|---|
| Opening Faceoff | 7pm ET | 8pm ET |
| Television | None | None |
| Radio | 1460 AM The Fan | 1460 AM The Fan |
| Online Video | BTN Plus ($) | BTN Plus ($) |
Ohio State hosts the Wolverines this week. The Bucks look to repeat the results from the teams’ last meeting when they swept Michigan in Ann Arbor. The surging Wolverines are looking for revenge.
When last we saw Michigan the team was relying heavily on its offense to cover the sins of its defense. The Wolverines are still an offensively-minded squad. Cooper Marody (21 points) leads the Big Ten in scoring and Tony Calderone (19 points) ranks third.
| Team Stats | Michigan | Ohio State |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 12-10-2, 7-7-2-1 B1G | 15-5-4, 8-5-1-0 B1G |
| Avg. Goals For / Against | 3.33 / 3.04 | 3.00 / 2.12 |
| Power Play / Penalty Kill | 16.1% / 76.3% | 20.4% / 90.1% |
| Points Leader | Cooper Marody (31) | Tanner Laczynski (34) |
| Top Goaltender | Hayden Lavigne (2.51/.915) | Sean Romeo (2.04/.924) |
And now Michigan’s defense appears to have stabilized. The team’s goals against average has decreased significantly since the holiday break. In their last six games the Wolverines have allowed an average of only 1.67 goals per game.
All six of those games were Big Ten contests. Michigan won four of the six, losing a pair to Notre Dame before sweeping both Minnesota and Penn State. The hot streak pushed the Wolverines past the Gophers and Nittany Lions in the conference standings. Michigan now lurk in third place, a single point behind the Buckeyes.
| Big Ten Standings | W | L | T | SOW | PTS | POLL | PWR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notre Dame | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 39 | No. 1 | No. 1 |
| Ohio State | 8 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 25 | No. 6 | No. 7 |
| Michigan | 7 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 24 | No. 17 | No. 15 |
| Penn State | 6 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 23 | No. 12/14 | No. 16 |
| Minnesota | 6 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 20 | No. 14/13 | No. 9 |
| Wisconsin | 6 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 20 | No. 18 | No. 20 |
| Michigan State | 3 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 11 | N/A | No. 37 |
The weaselly visitors steam into this week’s series on a four game winning streak. Ohio State is coming off a bye week. The bye fell at an opportune time for the Buckeyes.
Veteran leaders Mason Jobst and Janik Moser were both banged up during the Penn State series. The break allowed them some recovery time. According to The Lantern both players are game-time decisions this week.
OSU has played some good hockey lately. The Buckeyes are 5-1-0 since returning from the holiday break with an average margin of victory in those wins of 2.80 goals. They haven't faced the toughest competition, but they have handled their business well.
The bye week rust is probably going to cause the Bucks a little trouble early in the series. However, I expect Ohio State to get back in the groove sooner rather than later, especially against Michigan. When the final horn sounds on the series, I think OSU will still hold second place in the B1G.
No. 5 Buckeye Women at Minnesota-Duluth
| Game Info | Friday | Saturday |
|---|---|---|
| Opening Faceoff | 4pm ET | 4pm ET |
| Television | FS North | None |
| Online Video | NCHC.tv ($) | NCHC.tv ($) |
Fresh off the program’s first sweep of Minnesota, the women’s hockey Bucks head out for their next-to-last road trip of the regular season. Ohio State swept Minnesota-Duluth in Columbus back in October. The Buckeyes seek a similar result in the teams’ final match up of 2017-18.
The Bulldogs are led by talented youngsters, Naomi Rogge and Ashton Bell. Both freshmen rank among the WCHA’s top 10 goal scorers. But while there is notable skill at the top, UMD’s scoring chart lacks depth. Rogge and Bell account for half of Duluth’s goals.
| Team Stats | Ohio State | Minnesota-Duluth |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 17-5-4, 10-2-4-3 WCHA | 10-13-2, 6-10-2-1 WCHA |
| Avg. Goals For /Against | 3.23 / 2.19 | 2.04 / 2.52 |
| Power Play / Penalty Kill | 18.6% / 85.1% | 20.3% / 84.2% |
| Points Leader | Emma Maltais (31) | Naomi Rogge (19) |
| Top Goaltender | Kassidy Sauve (2.10/.930) | Jessica Convery (2.41/.912) |
Sound defense is the key for Minnesota-Duluth. When the team takes care of its own end it is capable of scoring the two or three goals needed to win. In all the Bulldogs’ wins this season the team has surrendered two or fewer goals. This includes a victory over No. 2 Colgate.
| WCHA Standings | W | L | T | SOW | PTS | Poll | PWR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | 15 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 47 | No. 1 | No. 1 |
| Ohio State | 10 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 37 | No. 5 | No. 5 |
| Minnesota | 10 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 32 | No. 7 | No. 7 |
| Bemidji State | 7 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 24 | RV | No. 15 |
| Minnesota-Duluth | 6 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 21 | N/A | No. 17 |
| St. Cloud State | 4 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 16 | N/A | No. 28 |
| Minnesota State | 1 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 3 | N/A | No. 32 |
While UMD does present a challenge, the Buckeyes’ most difficult task this week might be maintaining their focus ahead of next week’s big showdown with No. 1 Wisconsin. Fortunately the team seems to be aware of that.
Focus and preparation were hot topics in the team's pre-series comments. Junior forward Maddy Field summed it up best, saying, "The Bulldogs are a good team, but if we keep our focus and continue working hard on and off the ice we can keep this success going."
For what it's worth, I tend to agree. As long as the Bucks stay sharp they should do well in Duluth.
