OSU Hockey

[jimotis4heisman]

as i posted in dannys thread, things dont look good for him.
Tom Fritshce named to USWJ Team
he is in the hospital and looks as if his season will be a wash

[jimotis4heisman]

OHIO STATE MEN’S HOCKEY
Buckeyes determined to get back on track
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Scott Priestle
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
CHRIS RUSSELL DISPATCH Coach John Markell, right, coming off a frustrating season, makes a point to his players before a recent practice.
Last season ended earlier than expected for the Ohio State men’s hockey team, so this season started earlier than ever. Coach John Markell held 6 a.m. practices throughout spring quarter for the returning players.
If being swept by Ferris State at the end of last season did not leave them feeling sick to their stomachs, an early wakeup call after a night of, shall we say, collegiate living certainly would have.
"That forced us to get the right sleep and the right diet," senior defenseman Sean Collins said.
Markell’s message of personal responsibility carried into the fall quarter. In years past the coaches selected a captain and alternate captains shortly after the previous season ended. But this time Markell waited until last week to name Collins the captain and forwards Mathieu Beaudoin and Matt McIlvane alternate captains.
He wanted multiple players to take charge during the spring and summer workouts and the first week of organized practice.
"It’s not up to one individual to make decisions. It’s up to the whole team," Markell said. "Just because you’re wearing a ‘C’ doesn’t mean that everybody else isn’t capable of leading themselves and don’t have to concentrate on what they do. After last season, I’m interested in seeing how that evolves."
The Buckeyes went 15-19-5 last season, finished 10 th in the 12-team Central Collegiate Hockey Association and were swept in the first round of the conference tournament by Ferris State. It was a hard fall from their preseason ranking of No. 1 in the conference and No. 3 in the nation.
Most of the core returns from that team, and from the team that went 27-11-4 in 2004-05. So the 2006-07 Buckeyes know one another well, and they have known considerable success and failure.
"We feel like we learned from both years," Collins said. "We learned what makes a successful team from an unsuccessful team. It’s a product of attitude and confidence. It’s not getting too high during the highs or too low during the lows. You try to keep an even keel."
A number of players worked out together throughout the summer, and most were skating together since late August or early September. Teams were allowed to begin supervised practices Sept. 15, but only for two hours per week. The first day of full practice was Sunday.
"There’s no doubt we’re in good shape right now," Beaudoin said.
There are holes in the lineup, though. Among the five players lost from last season were Dave Caruso — one of the most decorated goaltenders in the program’s history — and his backup, Ian Keserich. Highly touted freshman Joe Palmer figures to get the bulk of the playing time in goal, and his backup will be 17-year-old freshman Nick Filion.
The Buckeyes also have lost junior forward Tom Fritsche, who led the team in scoring the past two seasons, for at least the start of this season. He has been hospitalized for much of the past month because of an intestinal disorder, and it is unknown when or if he will play this season.
"He’s an impact player," Markell said. "Now it’s even more important that everybody pitches in and scores some goals. The best-case scenario is that we score by committee."
spriestle@dispatch.com

http://www.columbusdispatch.com/osus...003-E1-02.html

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

OHIO STATE HOCKEY
Palmer will try to carry on legacy of strong goalies

Saturday, October 07, 2006

Scott Priestle
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH


Freshman goaltender Joe Palmer will make his first start tonight when Ohio State faces Guelph.





The hallmark of the Ohio State hockey program in recent seasons has been a tight defense backed by a sturdy goaltender. Jeff Maund set the school record for highest save percentage, Mike Betz set the record for most wins and Dave Caruso set the record for lowest goals-against average.
Caruso finished his career last March among the top four in the program?s history in wins, save percentage and minutes played, in addition to his record for lowest goals-against average. His are sizable shoes to fill.
Freshman Joe Palmer knows the history and understands the expectations. Where others might see pressure, he saw opportunity.
Palmer, a veteran of the U.S. National Team Development Program and a fourth-round draft pick of the Chicago Blackhawks, welcomed the chance to replace Caruso. He will make his collegiate debut at 8:05 tonight as Ohio State?s starting goalie in an exhibition game against Guelph.
"It was definitely one of the biggest factors in coming to Ohio State ? the ability to come in as a freshman and get playing time and showcase my abilities," Palmer said.
The opportunity grew during the summer when Ian Kesserich, Caruso?s backup the previous two seasons, left the program to play junior hockey. The Buckeyes scrambled to fill his spot, signing 17-year-old Nick Filion, who was planning to play junior hockey for another season before attending college.
The only returning goalie is junior Phil Lauderdale, a former walk-on from the OSU club team who has never played in a Division I game. Palmer will be expected to carry the load, with Filion as his backup.
"Both guys can play, and I think both guys will play," coach John Markell said. "They?re freshmen. I know going in there are going to be situations where one guy has to be pulled, so the other guy has to be ready to step in."
Palmer is no stranger to the spotlight, or the competition. While in the development program the past two seasons, he played more than a dozen games against Division I college teams and competed in multiple international tournaments.
"It definitely got me ready," he said. "Not just the speed of the game ... but the mental aspect of playing in a college atmosphere, with the fans and everything. It definitely prepares you for the atmosphere."
Filion figures to have a tougher adjustment. This is his first time living away from home, he has not faced the same competition as Palmer, and until late in the summer he expected to spend this season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
"I?m still shocked and amazed," he said. "It came up pretty fast."
Filion said he was so impressed during his visit to Ohio State that he was willing to begin his college career one year earlier than he originally planned, even if it meant arriving in Palmer?s shadow.
Each said he likes having a classmate to compete with, and Markell does, too.
"It will be a competition, which we want it to be. But it will be very complementary," Markell said. "Both kids are freshmen. They know they?re going to be here ? together ? for four years. They know they are going to have to work together."
spriestle@dispatch.com

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

HOCKEY: OHIO STATE 5 GUELPH 1
Buckeyes show rust but get plenty of shots in exhibition
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Scott Priestle
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH



The Ohio State hockey team kicked off a new season last night with a 5-1 win over Guelph in an exhibition game. It could have been 10-1, which was both good news and bad.
The good news: Despite playing without two of their top playmakers, junior forwards Tom Fritsche and Domenic Maiani, the Buckeyes dominated play and generated numerous scoring chances.
The bad news: They put plenty of pucks on net last season, as well, but too few of them went in. Frustration mounted, and the season disintegrated.
Last night was likely more about rust. For now, at least, it is easy to assume so.
"The finished product, obviously you?re concerned a little bit. But I thought we had good execution tonight," coach John Markell said. "We?re happy with the win. We?re happy we got so many guys in there. Some guys showed us something.
"But a lot of guys just had to get a game back under their belts, and we had to break in some rookies. I wish we had another game here tomorrow night."
The Buckeyes should get Maiani back for the regularseason opener Friday against Lake Superior State. He was held out last night because of what Markell called "a bad bruise." Fritsche has an intestinal disorder and is out indefinitely.
In their absence, the Buckeyes put 47 shots on net in the first two periods while allowing only four shots. They led 3-0 and were 1 of 7 on power plays, reminiscent of last season. Then Sam Campbell and Johan Kroll scored early in the third period to put the game out of reach and any creeping doubts out of their heads.
"If you?re not getting chances, that would be a problem," said junior center Matt McIlvaine, who had a goal and two assists. "We are getting our chances. It?s just a matter of taking advantage of them. When the time comes, guys will bear down and get ?em."
Three of the goals came on rebounds from just in front of the net, including two goals scored 48 seconds apart in the first period. It has been a point of emphasis.
"It was very successful today, even if we could have maybe put a couple more in the net," sophomore winger Corey Elkins said. "We were there."
Fritsche, who is being treated for severe ulcerated colitis, watched from the stands after being released from a Cleveland-area hospital last week. He said he will be examined again this week, and he could soon return to campus full time and begin taking classes.
"But it?s such an unpredictable thing," he said. "You just don?t know."
spriestle@dispatch.com

[BuckeyeStu]

Why not start a hockey message board?? It is at least as popular as college baseball and we should have a good team this year.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Ohio State gets another shot
Veteran-laden team is looking to prove struggles last season were a one-time thing

Friday, October 13, 2006

Scott Priestle
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH




Of the 25 players on the Ohio State men?s hockey roster, 16 have earned two or more varsity letters, including five of the top six scorers from the past two seasons and five of six defensemen.
By and large, then, the OSU team that takes the ice tonight for the season opener against Lake Superior State will be the same group that enjoyed considerable success two years ago and endured deep disappointment last season.
Which begs the question: Which season was the true gauge of this team?s talent? Second place in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and a berth in the NCAA Tournament, or 10 th place in the CCHA and a first-round exit from the conference tournament?
"I don?t know how to answer that," senior defenseman Matt Waddell said. "You have to take something from both of those experiences. People were asking me what happened (last year), and it killed me every time I had to open my mouth and say we had a bad season and make up excuses when really we shouldn?t have any excuses. This team knows how to win, and that?s what we have to do."
The Buckeyes began last season ranked third nationally and first in the CCHA preseason poll, but they suffered through poor offensive productivity (due in part to a lapse in effort), then dealt with a rash of injuries. They were a nonfactor in the league race, much less the national-title chase.
Gone from that team are record-setting goaltender Dave Caruso, defenseman Nate Guenin and forwards Rod Pelley and Dan Knapp.
Also missing is the burden of outside expectations. CCHA coaches picked Ohio State fourth in their preseason poll, and league media picked OSU sixth.
"I think we?re better as underdogs," sophomore winger Corey Elkins said.
"It?s extra motivation," said his linemate, junior center Matt McIlvaine.
Coincidence or not, the best seasons under coach John Markell have come when expectations were lower. The Buckeyes were coming off 11 straight losing seasons when they reached the Frozen Four in 1998. The 2003-04 team had to replace two firstround NHL draft picks in R.J. Umberger and Ryan Kesler but rallied to win the CCHA tournament. The 2004-05 team finished second in the conference despite relying heavily on eight sophomores and 11 freshmen.
The current team was dealt a blow late in the summer when junior winger Tom Fritsche was hospitalized because of an intestinal disorder. He is out of the lineup indefinitely, further lowering the program?s national profile.
"We?re still very capable of competing at a level where we thought we were with Fritsche," Markell said. "Our players are capable of playing the game. You hope last year was just a one-year thing."
In an attempt to create more turnovers and better scoring chances, Markell has implemented a higher-tempo style. He said he has "faith in the skill of our guys" to play such a style, and faith in their decision-making.
"If we were a younger team, I don?t know if we would do it," Markell said. "But we have three lines that are pretty set."
Those three lines appear to be Andrew Schembri, Mathieu Beaudoin and Kenny Bernard; Kyle Hood, Domenic Maiani and Tommy Goebel; and Elkins, McIlvaine and John Dingle. Those nine players have a combined 19 varsity letters.
"I think this could be the best team that I?ll play on," said Sean Collins, a senior defenseman and captain. "We have very high expectations for ourselves."
spriestle@dispatch.com

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

OHIO STATE 1 LAKE SUPERIOR STATE 0

Newcomer paces win in opener
MSU transfer nets game?s lone goal

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Scott Priestle
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

</IMG> Ohio State freshman goalie Joseph Palmer stops a point-blank shot by Lake Superior?s Trent Campbell in the second period.


After 18 months of weightlifting, lonely skating and waiting to get back into a game, Tommy Goebel was perhaps the most excited player on the ice last weekend during Ohio State?s exhibition win over Guelph ? and quickly the most frustrated. He created but could not finish a number of scoring chances, including an open net on his first shift in scarlet and gray.
"My dad was yelling at me after that one," Goebel said with a laugh this week.
Redemption did not take long.
In his regular-season debut for the Buckeyes last night, Goebel, an Ohio native who played his first two seasons at Michigan State and sat out last season because of transfer rules, tallied a nifty shorthanded goal to account for all the scoring in a 1-0 win over Lake Superior State.
"If you saw my face," he said with a smile, "I was pretty happy. It just feels good to play hockey again and score a goal. We got the win. It?s a good day."
The game looked like an opener, with plenty of rust on both sides. Ohio State freshman Joe Palmer had 22 saves to post a shutout in his collegiate debut. Lake Superior State senior Jeff Jakaitis had 43 saves.
The Buckeyes went 0 of 5 on power plays, including 71 seconds with a two-man advantage in the first period, but shut out the Lakers on seven power-play attempts.
"It?s a good way to start off the year," Palmer said.
The Buckeyes used three freshmen, Goebel, and a handful of players who missed significant time last season because of injuries. The Lakers used eight freshmen. The acclimation to college hockey (or reacclimation, in some cases) is ongoing.
"We got through it, and we got better as the game went on," OSU coach John Markell said.
The first period was, in Markell?s words, "a feel-out period," and the third period was a hold-on-tight period. In between, Ohio State outshot Lake Superior State 24-7 in the second period and Goebel made the play of the game.
After a turnover at center ice, Goebel carried the puck down the left wing. He had a two-on-one with teammate Domenic Maiani and held the puck long enough to freeze the defender and Jakaitis, then slipped the puck between Jakaitis? legs and into the net.
"Dom Maiani made a great play to get back and create a two-on-one instead of just a one-on-one," Goebel said. "It gave me a chance to make a move, and luckily it slipped in."
The Buckeyes had to kill one more Lakers power play in the final 2? minutes of the game to secure the win, and they did so with fourth-line center Bryce Anderson and his freshman winger, Mathieu Picard, leading the way.
It was Ohio State?s 10 th straight win over Lake Superior State, the past three by shutout.
"It was a great team win," Palmer said. "If you look at the penalty kill, everybody was in there."
spriestle@dispatch.com