No. 7 Ohio State men’s hockey (15-8-1) travels to Wisconsin (9-13-0) for Friday and Saturday matchups with the Badgers. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
The No. 7 Ohio State men’s ice hockey team travels to Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin, to meet the Badgers for a two-game series Friday and Saturday.
The Buckeyes (15-8-1, 8-6 Big Ten) enter the matchup off a split series with then-No. 6 Michigan last weekend, while Wisconsin (9-13-0, 2-10-0 Big Ten) lost 6-1 last time out Jan. 13 in an exhibition game to the United States National Team Development Program U-18 Team.
Despite the split, the Buckeyes enter the matchup off a balanced scoring weekend that saw eight of nine goals scored by different players, including sophomore defenseman Mason Lohrei who scored his first goal of the season.
Senior forward Jaedon Leslie said gaining momentum from a number of contributors is key to Ohio State’s long-term success.
“We’re an extremely deep team,” Leslie said. “Anybody can contribute on any given night.”
The Buckeyes met the Badgers earlier this season in a set in Columbus Oct. 7-8, 2022. Ohio State swept the series, winning 3-1 and 4-3. The Buckeyes have not lost to the Badgers since Feb. 27, 2021, in a 7-0 blowout loss.
This season, Wisconsin is on a roller coaster ride thus far, losing eight of its first 10 games, rebounding to win the next five, and now looking to climb out of a 2-6 stretch.
The Badgers have struggled defensively this season, ranking last in the Big Ten in saves per game at 27, save percentage at 89.5 and goals against average at 3.17 per contest.
Wisconsin also ranks at the bottom of the conference in assists per game at 4.23. The team also ranks next to last in the Big Ten at goals per game and points per game at 2.55 and 6.77, respectively.
However, the Badgers are led by freshman forward Cruz Lucius with 23 points that include eight goals and 15 assists, all good for top-10 rankings among individual Big Ten players.
Nevertheless, head coach Steve Rohlik said the Buckeyes don’t just focus on one player in game preparation and take everyone as an equal threat.
“Our focus really is on their team,” Rohlik said. “Sometimes, when you just get focused on one guy, you lose the fact that they’ve got a lot of other really good players. So, you know, our things are to always be a team, and we just got to stay five men connected and play good team defense. That’s how you kind of try to stop things.”
The Badgers can also hang their hats on a middle-of-the-road power play unit that ranks fourth in the Big Ten in both conversion rate at .202 and kill percentage at 79.8, which will be critical to counter a Buckeye unit that ranks third and first in those categories respectively.
Rohlik said the key to the Buckeyes’ power play success is his coaching staff, such as assistant coach Luke Strand among others, goaltending and player discipline.
“Our guys are buying in,” Rohlik said. “Those are really the keys, and if you can take less penalties, I think your PK is going to be a lot better. And so that’s what we try to do.”
Despite Wisconsin’s struggles, Leslie insists the team won’t overlook anyone and will be ready for the challenge ahead.
“Any team in the Big Ten is a good team,” Leslie said. “You can’t look at where they are in the standings, and I think we’ve got to go on to that weekend with that kind of mindset. Just kind of a dog-on-the-ball mentality, making sure that we are skating, using our legs and making sure that we are making the right plays.”
Both games start at 8 p.m. and will be televised on Bally Sports Great Lakes and streaming on BTN+.
