The No. 11 Ohio State men’s ice hockey team defeated Wisconsin 3-1 on Oct. 7 in Columbus. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
The No. 11 Ohio State men’s hockey team will face the top-ranked team when No. 1 Minnesota comes to Value City Arena for a weekend set.
The Buckeyes (6-1-1, 2-0 Big Ten) face a challenge unlike they have experienced this season when the Golden Gophers (4-2) come to Columbus beginning Friday. Ohio State head coach Steve Rohlik said his team is aware of the challenge.
“You’re always measuring yourself each week, and this is just a different opponent, but we’re well aware that we probably have the most talented team in the country coming to town,” Rohlik said. “We’ve been sharp in practice, and guys are excited about it. We just know we got to be at our best this weekend.”
Minnesota suffered two losses this season, both by one goal against two different top-10 teams, No. 8 Minnesota State and No. 6 North Dakota. Their latest loss came in their last game to the Fighting Hawks 5-4 Oct. 22.
The Buckeyes come off a weekend sweep of Bentley, scoring 12 goals in the two games against the Falcons.
The Gophers have a strong offense, averaging 3.8 goals per game, ranking eighth-best in the NCAA. Their leading goal scorer, freshman forward Jimmy Snuggerud, has five goals on the season. Their leading scorer is senior defenseman Jackson LaCombe with seven points and leads the team with six assists.
Despite Minnesota possessing better statistics on offense, the Buckeyes are better defensively than the Gophers. This season the Buckeyes are tied for sixth in the NCAA in scoring defense, allowing just two goals per game, compared to the Gophers at 18th, giving up 2.5 goals per contest.
On top of their solid defense, the Buckeyes hope to continue their success on the penalty kill, only allowing one goal in 28 attempts for an opponent conversion rate of just 3.6 percent.
Ohio State senior defenseman James Marooney said the leaders of the team have given the young players the message they need to enjoy the moment.
“Just embrace the moment playing against the top team like them,” Marooney said. “Just play hard and after 60 minutes.”
Even though the Gophers are the top-ranked team, Ohio State freshman forward Davis Burnside said their preparation for these games has not changed.
“We just kind of approach it like every other game obviously,” Burnside said. “They’re fast, they’re a good team. If we just play within our structure, and play with a lot of energy and play it for 60 minutes, we will be good.”
Rohlik said the team understands they need to win this weekend, playing and preparing for Minnesota the same as any other team.
“The guys understand, they’re smart enough to know, each week is a big week, no matter if we’re playing Minnesota or anybody else,” Rohlik said. “We got to prepare Monday through Thursday, and that’s kind of what we talk about a lot. Then obviously, we talk about other teams’ tendencies. Then you go in with a game plan and really you try to go out there and execute it, and that’s what we’re going to try to do.”
Ohio State starts its weekend set against Minnesota at Value City Arena Friday. Puck drop is slated for 6:30 p.m. and on Big Ten Network.
