The Ohio State men’s hockey team celebrates a goal during the then-No.10 Ohio State-No. 4 Michigan game Feb. 18. Ohio State won 4-2. Credit: Katie Good | Lantern File Photo
The Ohio State men’s ice hockey team, led by head coach Steve Rohlik, looks to start Big Ten play with a bang in a two-game set against Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this weekend.
“The first thing you learn when you come to Ohio State is all about what the rivalry means,” Rohlik said. “So we’re excited about it. I think our guys understand it, and we’re looking forward to going up there.”
Michigan comes into the matchup after splitting with UMass on the road and Providence at home in a two-game set.
The Buckeyes are coming off a season-opening 4-3 victory against Mercyhurst, followed by a 4-2 win Oct. 13 in their home opener against Lindenwood to eventually draw two apiece after overtime against the Lions the next day.
With preseason speculation of who may start in goal for Ohio State, junior UConn transfer Logan Terness has begun making a name for himself. Terness has started all three games for the Buckeyes and has impressed coach Rohlik.
“He’s doing a nice job for us. I mean, he’s getting his feet wet to hear for the first time, and he came up big for us in the shootout, and I think that goes well for confidence; he’s made some big saves for us, so I think he’s trending in the right direction,” Rohlik said.
So far, Terness has allowed seven goals with 70 saves, on a .909 save percentage.
The goalie has prepared himself for his first experience as part of the rivalry.
“I’ve heard a lot about it,” Terness said “The boys are pretty passionate about it. We have a pretty good group and are excited to go in for it. So yeah, it’ll be fun.”
Leading the way for Michigan is sophomore forward Rutger McGroarty, who leads the nation in points. He’s certainly a player the Buckeyes will need to look out for, recording two goals and seven assists, and is on a 12-game point-scoring streak.
This season, the Michigan power play is 7-for-22, converting on 31.8 percent of its chances. The penalty kill nearly matches at 31.7 percent, as the Wolverines have gone 15-for-22.
Conversely, the Buckeyes’ penalty kill, which led the NCAA a season ago, is 7-for-8 (.875) this year — at the same time, going 3-for-16 on the power play.
After losing a lead versus Lindenwood in the third period, Rohlik said he hopes the team can respond by using it as a learning opportunity.
“It was a valuable lesson for us,” Rohlik said. “We got to learn to play with a lead. I give them a lot of credit. They worked extremely hard. They took advantage of a couple of chances right to the end.”
The puck drops Friday at 6 p.m. in what is expected to be a packed crowd at Yost Ice Arena.
