The Ohio State men’s hockey team lines up for the national anthem ahead of their 4-1 loss to Michigan Saturday at the Schottenstein Center. Credit: Sandra Fu | Lantern Photographer
The Ohio State men’s ice hockey team has had two different seasons, one in Big Ten play and one outside of it.
The Buckeyes (9-15-3, 1-15-1 Big Ten) are undefeated in nonconference play during the 2023-24 season, including sweeps against No. 19 Omaha and Princeton.
However, its Big Ten play so far has seen the team winning only one of its 18 games played.
While there may be a number of reasons for this dropoff, one may loom in the difficulty of the stacked conference.
Head coach Steve Rohlik said he believes the Big Ten is the best conference in collegiate hockey. His team is set to take on the Wisconsin Badgers (22-6-2, 13-4-1 Big Ten), who currently sit as the No. 4 team in the nation, on Feb. 16 and 17 at Value City Arena at The Schottenstein.
“We play in the best league in the country,” Rohlik said. “You have to give yourself a chance to win both nights in this league.”
The Big Ten holds four of the top 11 teams in collegiate hockey, and five of the top 20, meaning only Penn State and Ohio State are not ranked in the current USA Today poll from the Big Ten.
The conference has the No. 4 Wisconsin Badgers, who swept the Buckeyes in Madison, Wisconsin, Dec. 1 and 2, 2023. The Badgers are currently leading the NCAA in scoring defense, only allowing 1.86 goals against per game, and are second in penalty-killing percentage at 88.2%.
The No. 8 Michigan State Spartans and the No. 9 Minnesota Golden Gophers also cause a headache for any coach going against them.
The Spartans are amid their best season in Big Ten play since the conference announced its establishment of a men’s ice hockey circuit in the 2013-14 season. The Spartans have 12 wins in the conference play and have matched their last year’s overall win at 18 total, with six games left to go.
The Golden Gophers have had two of the most talented forwards in the Big Ten this year, sophomore forward Jimmy Snuggerud, the leading goal scorer in the Big Ten, and junior forward Rhett Pitlick, who is seventh in the Big Ten in goals scored.
The duo combined for 6 points when the Golden Gophers took on the Buckeyes Jan. 20 and 21.
The last of the top 11 teams in the Big Ten is Ohio State’s biggest rival, Michigan. The Wolverines have the best offense in the Big Ten, scoring 4.65 goals per game on average, and have the best power play in the NCAA at 35.8%.
The Wolverines’ offense has made them competitive against any team in the country this season.
Freshman defenseman Theo Wallberg said Big Ten play is faster and more physical than any of the leagues he’s competed in, which includes the Eastern Conference for the Dubuque Fighting Saints in the United States Hockey League.
“Big Ten hockey is different from a lot of conferences with more skilled teams,” Wallberg said. “It’s a higher pace and more physical.”
Sophomore forward Jake Dunlap echoed Wallberg’s thoughts on the competitiveness and skill level of the conference.
“The Big Ten is very skilled with a lot of good, offensive teams,” Dunlap said. “A lot of fast-paced teams, so I am just adjusting to that.”
The conference has not been historically great. The last time a current Big Ten team won the national championship in men’s hockey was in 2007 when Michigan State won 3-1 over Boston College.
However, there are many teams this year attempting to rewrite that statistic as six Big Ten teams are hopeful to make the 16-team NCAA tournament.
Ohio State still has a chance to change the narrative on its season as the Buckeyes have series against Michigan State, Wisconsin and Penn State to finish out their regular season before going to the conference tournament, where any of the seven teams have a chance to win.
