Sophomore forward Stephen Halliday (19) waits for the puck to drop for a face-off against Penn State. Ohio State lost 2-1 at the Schottenstein Center Saturday. Credit: Paige Kadar | For The Lantern
The Ohio State men’s ice hockey team hopes to keep its season alive in Madison, Wisconsin, as it takes on the favored Wisconsin Badgers.
The seventh-seeded Buckeyes (12-18-4, 4-18-2 Big Ten) face off against the second-seeded Badgers (25-9-2, 16-7-1 Big Ten) at the Kohl Center in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament.
Head coach Steve Rohlik said his team has been building up for this series all year.
“I think we have played some really good hockey over the past month and a half, so our guys have a little more confidence,” Rohlik said. “It is go time — this is why you prepare, this is why you do all those summer workouts, this is why you go through all you have gone through throughout the season.”
There’s no doubt Ohio State had a challenging first half of its season in Big Ten play, as it went into the Christmas break 0-8-2. That included a sweep to then-No. 6 Wisconsin Dec. 1 and Dec. 2, 2023. However, the Buckeyes have been able to turn their fortunes around with four wins in the back half of Big Ten play, going 4-10.
Two of the four wins they earned came from a home series sweep against the Badgers. Rohlik said the regular season series boosted the Buckeyes’ confidence and showed them that Wisconsin is vincible.
“We played solid, and we did not give them a lot of chances. That is how we have to play these guys,” Rohlik said. “We are excited about it, but we know we have to be a lot better than we were when we played them.”
Junior goaltender Logan Terness said the players feel assured in their capabilities heading into Madison for the weekend.
“I think we are a confident group in general. We are always ready to go,” Terness said. “With the group we have going in, we have done all the work. Going into this series, we are ready.”
Ohio State and Michigan State are the two teams that have not won the Big Ten men’s ice hockey tournament. The furthest the Buckeyes have advanced is the finals in the inaugural tournament in 2014 and again in 2018.
They lost to the Badgers in the 2014 finals 5-4 in overtime and Notre Dame four years later 3-2 in overtime. The Badgers have only won the tournament once in the inaugural season and have lost in the finals twice in 2017 and 2021.
Senior defenseman Mason Klee said the team knows that they’re underdogs in the series and will embrace that role going into Madison. The team enjoys playing the role of spoiler, he said.
“We are definitely underdogs, but I think we like that spot,” Klee said. “I think we know we can beat this team. We are going there to win two games.”
The playoff can showcase individuals stepping up and making a name for themselves, and Rohlik said he believes that can be anyone on his team.
“We have to count on the guys that have been here, done that, it could be a sophomore, it could be a freshman or it could be a senior,” Rohlik said. “Obviously the young guys are not freshmen anymore, but we got to be the best version of us.”
The Buckeyes and Badgers will face off for game one Friday at 8 p.m. on Big Ten Plus. Game two will be Saturday at 7 p.m., and if needed, game three will be Sunday at 6 p.m. on the same network.
