The No. 3 seed Ohio State men’s ice hockey takes on sixth-seeded Penn State on Friday and Saturday in Columbus. Credit: Katie Good | Asst. Photo Editor
After ending the regular season in third place in the Big Ten standings, third-seeded Ohio State draws No. 6 seed Penn State in a best-of-three conference tournament quarterfinal series at the Schottenstein Center this weekend.
The Buckeyes (18-13-3, 11-11-2 Big Ten) and Nittany Lions (20-13-1, 10-13-1 Big Ten) have faced off four times, splitting the season series. Ohio State looks to win its first-ever Big Ten Tournament Championship and secure a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.
“The guys have been excited all week,” head coach Steve Rohlik said. “You work all summer and all preseason [to] put all this time and effort in. [You] get a chance to be at home, a chance to play in the best league in the country in the playoffs.”
Ohio State enters the tournament off a rough finish to the regular season in its series against No. 1 Minnesota, being swept and outscored 9-2 on the weekend. Rohlik emphasized the importance of discipline and details following the losses.
“At the end of the day, you’ve just got to try to stay out of the box,” Rohlik said. “At this time of year, everything comes down to little things, and special teams is usually what wins or loses games.”
Ohio State and Penn State last met Feb. 3-4. The Nittany Lions took the first 4-3, thanks to senior forward Kevin Wall’s game-winning goal in the final minutes of regulation. The Buckeyes rebounded to take the finale 4-2 behind three goals in the last period.
The duo also met in the conference tournament quarterfinals last season. Ohio State took the opener 4-3 but could not close out the series, dropping the second 3-2 and the winner-take-all affair 2-1. The series capped off a Buckeye collapse in which they lost five of their final six games to finish just outside the 16-team NCAA Tournament bracket.
Senior forward Jaedon Leslie said getting the opportunity to avenge last year’s tournament defeat gives the team energy and motivation.
“In the back of our minds, it left a sour taste in our mouths,” Leslie said. “I think guys this week have come out with a lot of jump in practice, a lot of intensity. Guys are having fun with it. So, I think if we can enjoy the ride in the process, it’s going to be a fun ride.”
The Nittany Lion offensive attack continues to be headlined by the senior forward quartet of Connor MacEachern, Connor McMenamin, Ture Linden and Wall, all totaling 20-plus points. Since the teams’ last meeting, Linden and MacEachern have reached double-digit goals with 10 and 11, respectively, this season. Wall remains the team leader with 14, but has not scored since Feb. 3.
Both teams get pucks on the net offensively, with Penn State ranking atop the Big Ten in shots on goal with 40.15 per contest — and Ohio State trails behind at second with 35.88.
“[Penn State] plays hard, and they play north,” Rohlik said. “They put a lot of volume on the net. They don’t change any version of who they are. That’s what makes their identity so special to them.”
Sophomore defensemen Cole McWard and Mason Lohrei scored a power-play goal in Saturday’s game against Minnesota to raise the Buckeyes’ power-play conversion rate to third in the conference at .220. Penn State struggles to score with the man advantage, ranking last at .155.
In the battle of goaltenders, sophomore Jakub Dobeš has the numbers edge over junior counterpart Liam Souliere despite surrendering nine goals against the Golden Gophers. Dobeš is second in the conference with a 2.35 goals-against average compared to fourth-place Souliere at 2.52.
With the Buckeyes earning home-ice advantage this weekend, Leslie said the team is looking forward to a packed Schottenstein Center.
“Our home crowds this year have been absolutely excellent,” Leslie said. “They’ve brought a lot of energy to this group, and I think if they continue that throughout playoffs, it’s just a huge boost to our team.”
Friday’s game is scheduled for 7 p.m., with Saturday’s puck drop slated for 5 p.m. If necessary, Sunday’s game will also start at 5 p.m. All games will stream on BTN+.
