DEFENSE THE KEY IN HOCKEY SHOWDOWNS WITH MICHIGAN, WISCONSIN
Aubrey Nelson on January 11, 2019 at 3:45 pm
@deadlynuts
Twitter/@OhioStateMHKY
Email this Article
Share on RedditShare on TwitterShare on Facebook4
0 COMMENTS
School pride, critical conference points, there’s a lot on the line this week as both the men’s and women’s hockey Bucks defend home ice. Here’s what you need to know before the puck drops.
MEN VS. MICHIGAN WOLVERINES
GAME INFO FRIDAY SATURDAY
Opening Faceoff 7pm ET 7pm ET
Television None BTN
Local Radio 1460 AM 1460 AM
Online Stream BTN Plus ($) BTN2Go ($)
The Buckeyes come into this series fresh off a four-point weekend at Michigan State. A defensive letdown by OSU late in the first game opened the door for the Spartans to rally. MSU overcame a three-goal deficit to tie the game. The Spartans then won a bonus point in the 3-on-3 overtime. As you might expect, surrendering five goals in the third period of a game which they had otherwise controlled did not sit well with the Bucks.
TEAM STATS MICHIGAN OHIO STATE
Records 7-8-6, 3-4-4-2 B1G 12-4-4-, 5-2-3-2 B1G
National Polls N/A No. 3 / No. 4
Avg. Goals For / Against 3.00 / 3.14 3.10 / 2.20
Power Play / Penalty Kill 18.2% / 78.9% 20.9% / 79.2%
Points Leader Quinn Hughes (20) Mason Jobst (23)
Leading Goal Scorer Norris, N. Pastujov (10) Mason Jobst (13)
Top Goaltender Hayden Lavigne (2.93/.889) Tommy Nappier (1.54/.947)
“Every point in this league matters,” said Mason Jobst, “To give up two like that was just unacceptable. We thought we were the better team. But the league’s so deep that if you take anyone lightly for four minutes they’re going to make you pay.”
BIG TEN STANDINGS W L T SOW PTS LAST WEEK THIS WEEK
No. 3/4 Ohio State 5 2 3 2 20 SOL, W at MSU vs MCH
RV Wisconsin 4 3 3 1 16 Swept by No. 8 Denver vs US U-18 (ex)
RV Michigan 3 4 4 2 15 W at ND, L vs Merrimack (nc) at OSU
Minnesota 4 3 3 0 15 L, W vs PSU at ND
No. 9 Notre Dame 5 4 0 0 15 L vs MCH vs MIN
No. 10/11 Penn State 4 5 1 1 14 W, L at MIN vs MSU
Michigan State 2 6 2 2 10 SOW, L vs OSU at PSU
A postgame players-only meeting helped the team reset. The Bucks skated to a commanding 6-0 victory in the series finale. Much has been made of the players’ meeting but it wasn’t a big deal for Jobst. “It wasn’t like we’re on a five-game skid or anything like that,” said the senior captain. “It was just, let’s nip it in the bud right now before things get out of hand.”
Ohio State’s defense will be on the hot seat once again this week when the team hosts Michigan. The Wolverines have only one outright win in their last 11 games (1-3-6), but records don’t count for much in this series. “They’re not having a Michigan-type year,” noted Jobst. “But when it comes to Ohio State-Michigan it doesn’t really matter. They’re going to bring their A game, no matter what.”
The Wolverines have the skill set to bring an impressive A game. Their roster boasts nine NHL picks including first-rounders Quinn Hughes and Josh Norris. Both Hughes and Norris recently returned to Michigan from stellar performances with Team USA’s silver medal WJC squad.
Steve Rohlik isn’t planning on seeing anything less than fully operational Wolverines this week. “We’ve really got to be focused. We’re looking at Michigan showing up and being the best Michigan team. We’ve got to be the best team we can be.”
- Michigan native Dakota Joshua owns seven goals and seven assists in 13 career games vs. the Wolverines.
- Junior Tanner Laczynski needs three points to hit the century mark for his career.
https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...k81jUTh_omnVSrrPgKNtYd-_SrlX1i7BWvPbTvJtZnQI8
