After a weekend that saw No. 9 Ohio State winless against Notre Dame, the Buckeyes look to regroup as they face No. 4 Michigan Thursday and Saturday. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
After a weekend that saw No. 9 Ohio State winless against Notre Dame, the Buckeyes look to regroup as they face No. 4 Michigan Thursday and Saturday.
The Buckeyes (17-11-2, 10-9-1 Big Ten) and Wolverines (20-9-1, 12-8-0 Big Ten) have a busy week ahead of them, first meeting at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus Thursday after senior night celebrations and then heading north to Cleveland to meet in the outdoor Faceoff on the Lake at FirstEnergy Stadium on Saturday.
Head coach Steve Rohlik said the Buckeyes addressed several areas this week amidst the shortened practice schedule.
“For one, energy, you know, just coming back and getting these guys back to class on Monday,” Rohlik said. “Going out there, special teams is always a key, but just our energy and getting up and down the rink and the confidence and the swagger that you need to go out there in a series like this.”
Ohio State and Michigan went down different paths since splitting a two-game set Jan. 13-14. The red-hot Wolverines are amidst a seven-game win streak, while the Buckeyes have been around average, going 2-3-1 in their last six.
The results of the Notre Dame series saw Ohio State drop two spots in the USA Today rankings and one in the PairWise, now sitting at fourth in the Big Ten standings with four regular season games remaining.
Despite the results last weekend, senior forward Jaedon Leslie remains confident in the team’s approach and looks forward to competing against the Wolverines.
“I actually thought we had a pretty good weekend,” Leslie said. “Just for whatever reason, pucks weren’t going in the net. So, I think if we can continue throwing volume at the net and making sure we’re possessing pucks and controlling the puck, we’ll have some success this weekend.”
Michigan runs the most dangerous offense in the Big Ten, leading in goals, assists and points per game at 4.10, 7.07 and 11.17, respectively. Freshman forward Adam Fantilli leads all conference players in these categories with 18 goals, 29 assists and 47 points on the season.
The Wolverines’ star power doesn’t end there. Sophomores defenseman Luke Hughes and forward Mackie Samoskevich have 36 and 33 points, respectively, while freshman forwards TJ Hughes, Gavin Brindley, Rutger McGroarty and sophomore Dylan Duke have all cracked the 20-point mark.
“You’ve got to stay five-men connected,” Rohlik said. “You’ve got to stay within your structure. You’re going to give up some chances. I mean, they’re one of the best teams in the country. But you know, if you stay connected, you stay together and you believe in your system, [you’ll] limit their chances.”
Goalies present a better matchup for Ohio State, with sophomore Jakub Dobeš ranking second in the conference at goals against average at 2.22 per game while Wolverines junior counterpart Erik Portillo is sixth at 3.03.
Both teams have a formidable special teams unit. Michigan ranks at the top of the Big Ten in power-play conversation rate at 25.4 percent, with Ohio State third at 21.8 percent. The Buckeyes’ penalty kill percentage remains tops in the Big Ten and NCAA at 89.
Both Ohio State and Michigan are aggressive on offense, with the Buckeyes second in the conference in shots on goal per game at 36.43 and the Wolverines just behind them at 33.7.
Thursday will be senior night for Ohio State. Thirteen seniors and fifth-years will be honored, including forwards Tate Singleton, Dalton Messina, Kamil Sadlocha, Mark Cheremeta, Matt Cassidy, Leslie, Gustaf Westlund and team captain Jake Wise.
Defensemen to be recognized include James Marooney, Scooter Brickey, Dominic Vidoli and CJ Regula. Goalie Ryan Snowden will also be honored.
Rohlik said the Buckeyes senior class this season has “given us everything they’ve got.”
“They’ve carried on the culture and the tradition of every OSU player that’s ever put a jersey on here,” Rohlik said. “They’ve went through COVID. They’ve went through a tough situation. They keep coming to work every day. These are the guys that you want to go through the wall for, and that’s how I feel. These guys have continued to put OSU on the map.”
Thursday’s game starts at 7 p.m. with BTN+ streaming, while Saturday’s contest yields a 4 p.m. puck drop with Big Ten Network televising.
