Ohio State sophomore forward Michael Gildon (18) skates around the back of the net with the puck during the Ohio State-Minnesota game Feb. 11. Ohio State lost 3-2. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
No. 12 Ohio State will host fifth-seeded Penn State in the first round of the Big Ten Men’s Hockey Tournament this weekend.
The fourth-seeded Buckeyes (21-11-2) and Nittany Lions (15-8-1) have met four previous times this season, with Ohio State coming away victorious three times. Penn State managed to force a shootout Jan. 28 in State College, Pennsylvania, which the Nittany Lions won.
Ohio State head coach Steve Rohlik said even with their previous success against Penn State his team is aware of the threat the Nittany Lions pose.
“Other than understanding we played four good games with these guys that could have gone either way, you pretty much have to throw that out the window,” Rohlik said. “We understand how good Penn State is, we understand the animal we’re playing and we understand they’re probably as dangerous as any team in college hockey.”
The Buckeyes enter this postseason series on a four-game losing streak, stemming back to a sweep at home against then-No. 7 Minnesota Feb. 11-12. The losing stretch continued in Ann Arbor, Michigan, against the then-No. 2 Wolverines Feb. 18-19.
The Buckeyes were off last weekend, and Rohlik said even with the late-season slide, his team earned an important achievement in home-ice advantage to begin the playoffs.
“It was time to reflect and understand that we did something pretty well in order to get yourselves home ice,” Rohlik said. “I’m proud of the guys. We worked extremely hard and put ourselves in a position to play here this weekend.”
Despite regular season games typically being free to students, the Big Ten Tournament is run by the conference, which means students must pay to enter the Schottenstein Center. But Rohlik found a way to keep a solid home-ice advantage.
The Ohio State athletic department is covering the cost of the first 500 student tickets with Rohlik picking up the tab for the remaining seats. Rohlik said he wanted to show the gratitude he and his team have for the Buckeye students.
“It’s that important for what the student section has meant to our guys and to this program,” Rohlik said. “I wanted to show our support and basically wanted them to know how much we appreciate what they do for us.”
Rohlik said the students have played a notable role in Ohio State’s home contests this season, providing the Buckeyes with extra strength the entire game.
“It’s incredible,” Rohlik said. “You step on the ice and there’s 4,000 students in their section over there. You notice that from the time you step on the ice to everything that’s happening during the game — how loud they are, how into the game they are. It gives you that extra energy when you need it.”
The Nittany Lions enter the Big Ten Tournament after a split with Michigan State in the regular season’s closing series and boast the top shooter in the conference. Junior forward Kevin Wall leads the Big Ten with four shots per game on average, netting him .41 goals each contest.
Penn State allows 3.3 goals per game thanks to its two goaltenders in senior Oskar Autio and sophomore Liam Souliere. Autio and Souliere possess two of the Big Ten’s top-10 best goals against averages with 2.99 and 3.11, respectively.
Ohio State senior forward Jake Wise shared what it takes to score on the two Nittany Lion net-minders.
“They’re both good goalies,” Wise said. “I think in the end just playing our game and getting offense, we’ll get good scoring chances and eventually they’ll go in.”
The Buckeyes and the Nittany Lions will play Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., with a tiebreaker scheduled for 8 p.m. Sunday, if needed. All three games will air on Big Ten Network Plus.
