Ohio State raked in the individual honors this week. Mason Jobst and Tommy Nappier claimed the Big Ten’s First and Third Stars of the Week. Jobst was also named the No. 1 Star in the entire NCAA.
| Men's Hockey Bucks | Week | Awards and Accolades |
|---|---|---|
| Sean Romeo, RS-Sr. G | No. 5 | B1G Second Star of the Week |
| Tommy Nappier, So. G | No. 6 | B1G Third Star of the Week |
| Sean Romeo, RS-Sr. G | No. 7 | B1G Third Star of the Week |
| Sasha Larocque, Sr. D | No. 12 | B1G Second Star of the Week |
| Mason Jobst, Sr. F | No. 13 | NCAA First Star of the Week |
| Mason Jobst, Sr. F | No. 13 | B1G First Star of the Week |
| Tommy Nappier, So. G | No. 13 | B1G Third Star of the Week |
Quinn Preston stole the show as the NCAA's top playmaker of the week. Nappier also earned a spot in the nation's top-5 plays with a huge toe-save. The laurels are all well-deserved. Each player was a huge contributor in last week’s tie and win at Michigan State.
Jobst racked up seven points last week, more than any other player in the country. He collected a goal and three assists in Friday’s 7-7 tie. Then, on Saturday, he registered a power play goal and two helpers. The goal was career point No. 150 for the Speedway, Indiana native. He is the first Buckeye since 1991 to reach the mark. He now ranks No. 19 on OSU’s all-time scoring list.
Skating as a top line winger for just the second week, Preston notched four points of his own, two goals and two assists. He logged his first career multi-point game and a +5 rating for the series as well as a highlight-reel pass.
The #NCAAHockey Plays of the Week
— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) January 8, 2019
5 - @OhioStateMHKY
4 - @SCSUHUSKIES_MH
3 - @BrownMensHockey
2 - @PennStateMHKY
1 - @OhioStateMHKY pic.twitter.com/n5jEQbX5Hv
Dakota Joshua also posted a four-point series. Both Bucks lost out on a conference star to Brent Gates Jr. The Minnesota senior potted two goals and an assist in a split with Penn State.
Nappier stopped 29 shots in Saturday’s victory. It was his third shutout of the season. The sophomore netminder is now 7-1-2 on the season. He boasts a 1.54 GAA and .947 save percentage. He ranks second in the nation on both counts.
Moving Up the Polls and Moving on to Huge Games
The efforts of these players and their Buckeye brethren boosted Ohio State up to No. 3 in the USA Today/USA Hockey poll and No. 4 in USCHO’s rankings. The team is holding steady at No. 4 in the PairWise (which mimics the NCAA tournament selection process).
Next up for OSU is a date with Michigan. The Wolverines, coming off a big outdoor win over Notre Dame, will be looking to add another top-10 team to their trophy case. They’d probably also like to snap their streak of 682 days (and counting) without a win over the Buckeyes.
Their efforts against the Whitecaps last week were of an exhibitive nature, but the women’s hockey Bucks still made a move in the national polls. They are up to No. 7 in both sets of rankings. The Buckeye women also have a huge series on tap this week. No. 1 Wisconsin is coming to Columbus.
