Last Week: Swept Arizona State
Ohio State had its hands full with a game Sun Devils squad. It wasn’t a pretty series. Both games were uneven and a little rough around the edges in the way that early season outings generally are. But the team found a way to win both nights and retains the No. 1 ranking in both national polls.
The returning players picked up where they left off. Tanner Laczynski, Mason Jobst, Dakota Joshua, and Freddy Gerard all factored in the scoring. Ronnie Hein led the Bucks with two goals. Goaltenders Sean Romeo and Tommy Nappier split the starts. Romeo held ASU to two goals against. Nappier earned a 27 save shutout.
Miami transfer and Blue Jackets prospect Carson Meyer impressed (this writer anyway) in his Buckeye debut. He was often a catalyst for offense in the series, involved in several notable scoring chances. He collected a goal and an assist against Arizona State. It’s only one series, but I think fans should keep an eye on No. 72 this year.
- Miss the action last week? See highlights here.
This Week: Home Opener vs. Massachusetts
| Game Info | Friday | Saturday |
|---|---|---|
| Opening Faceoff | 7pm ET | 5pm ET |
| Television | None | None |
| Local Radio | 1460 AM | 1460 AM |
| Online Video | BTN Plus ($) | BTN Plus ($) |
The Buckeyes welcome UMass to the Schott this week for their home opener. The Minutemen finished 2017-18 a shade under .500. It was the best record the program had posted since 2007. Now Massachusetts looks to make even greater strides in head coach Greg Carvel’s third season.
Carvel’s squad returns some elite talent. Blue liner Cale Makar is a first round NHL draft choice (No. 4 overall, Colorado Avalanche). His defense partner, Mario Ferraro, is a second round pick (No. 49 overall, San Jose Sharks). John Leonard’s freshman campaign sufficiently impressed scouts that the current sophomore was selected No. 182 overall by the Sharks in the 2018 NHL Draft.
UMass also bolsters its roster with the highly skilled Del Gaizo brothers. Anthony joins the team as the USHL’s reigning scoring leader. Marc is a top-level incoming defender.
The Minutemen opened their 2018-19 campaign with a sweep of RPI. They notched four power play goals in a 6-1 rout last Friday. Saturday’s 3-1 win was a closer contest but UMass pulled away in the latter stages of the game thanks to a pair of Mitchell Chaffee goals.
"We have to be tough to beat here. No matter who we play we have to come out and prove ourselves every game." @SteveRohlik previewed this weekend's home series vs. UMass. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/avYdXmCCpT
— Ohio State Men's Hockey (@OhioStateMHKY) October 17, 2018
Massachusetts is a bigger challenge than ASU. (And OSU did not have an easy time with the Sun Devils.) The Minutemen have wealth of skill on the blue line. Those defenders could make life very difficult for the Bucks’ top scorers. But Ohio State has the scoring depth to prevail even if its top guys are shut down. As long as they play smart, I’ll still take the Buckeyes in this one.
- Check out USCHO's recent chat with Sean Romeo here.
Around the Big Ten
Minnesota and Wisconsin opened the year with big wins. The Gophers tied and defeated reigning NCAA champ and then-No. 1 Duluth. They moved up seven spots in the national rankings to No. 6 and even garnered a couple first place votes in the USCHO poll.
The unranked Badgers swept No. 12 Boston College to start the season. Now they are No. 15/13 in the polls. Minnesota has an exhibition outing this week against Trinity Western. Wisconsin is at Clarkson and St. Lawrence.
Penn State is also off to a good start, rising from No. 16 to No. 10/11 after sweeping No. 17 Clarkson. The Nittany Lions welcome Niagara to Pegula Ice Arena this week. It’s the second of four straight home weekends for PSU.
No. 2/3 Notre Dame tied Mercyhurst in a crazy 6-6 season opener at the Ice Breaker tournament. The Irish we expected to see this season surfaced in the finale. They shut out No. 4 Providence behind Cale Morris’ 22 saves. Notre Dame travels to Nebraska-Omaha this week.
After beginning the season at No. 4, Michigan is sliding down the polls. The now No. 11/10 Wolverines lost to unranked Vermont in Week 1. Then they split a pair of exhibition games, beating Waterloo but losing to the US U-18 Team. Michigan plays a home and home against No. 19 Western Michigan this week.
Michigan State is 1-1-0 after splitting a series with RV Northern Michigan. It’s a bye week for the Spartans.
