Home Slate Begins with Two Games vs. Michigan State

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The No. 10-ranked Ohio State men’s hockey team begins its home slate with two games vs. Michigan State this weekend. The teams will meet at 5:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in Value City Arena. The games will be streamed through BTN Plus ($) and on the radio at 1460 AM and online on OhioStateBuckeyes.com, with Herb Howenstine and former Buckeye Brendon Kearney calling the action for Ohio State Radio. There will be no spectators this weekend or at any of the Buckeyes’ home games in 2020.

Buckeye Notes to Know

• The Buckeyes began their season with two losses at Minnesota Monday and Tuesday, dropping 4-1 and 2-0 contests. Michigan State is 1-0-1 after a 1-1 OT tie and 2-0 win vs. Arizona State Nov. 19-20.
• Ohio State was 4-0-0 vs. Michigan State last season, sweeping a series in Columbus Nov. 30-Dec. 1, 2019 and two games in East Lansing Feb. 21-22.
• Sophomores Matt Cassidy, Mark Cheremeta and Dominic Vidoli, and freshmen Joe Dunlap, Patrick Guzzo, Evan McIntyre and Travis Treloar all saw their first game action for the Buckeyes in the series at Minnesota.
• The series vs. Michigan State marks the first two of six home games for the Buckeyes before the end of 2020. The Buckeyes were 11-3-4 overall at home a season ago.
• Ohio State has been ranked in the Top 15 of the USCHO and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls since Nov. 27, 2017. The squad started the year No. 10 in both polls.
• Ohio State has notched at least 20 wins in each of the last four years. The squad reached the NCAA Tournament three-consecutive years and was poised for a program-record fourth straight when the 2019-20 season was ended.
• Tommy Nappier, a Second Team Preseason All-Big Ten choice, entered his senior season second among active NCAA goalies in career save percentage, with a Buckeye program-best .934.

Last Time Out

• Ohio State’s year started with two losses at Minnesota.
• Monday, the Gophers led 2-0 after the first period. Gustaf Westlund scored for Ohio State in the second for a 2-1 game, but Minnesota responded with a goal of its own less than three minutes later for a 3-1 game after 40 minutes. The Gophers closed out the win with an empty net, shorthanded goal in the final minute. Shots were 27-17 in favor of Minnesota, including 13-1 in the first period.
• Tuesday, Minnesota scored 1:53 into the game and held the lead throughout, adding an insurance goal at 11:54 of the third. The Gophers had the edge in shots, 35-22.
• The Buckeye penalty kill was 6-for-7 in the series, including 4-for-4 in game two. Ohio State’s only power play chances were in game one, when it was 0-for-3.
• It was the first time the Buckeyes were shut out on the road since Oct. 10, 2015 at Bowling Green and the first time the team was shut out overall since March 29, 2019 vs. Denver in the NCAA Tournament.
• The Buckeyes last began a season with two losses in 2015-16, when they lost twice to Bowling Green Oct. 9-10, 2015 (6-3 at home, 2-0 on the road).

Buckeyes vs. Spartans

• Ohio State trails the all-time series with Michigan State, 49-89-13, but is 18-7-3 in Big Ten play vs. the Spartans, with an 8-1-1 advantage in the last 10 games. In Columbus, Michigan State has the lead in the series, 36-25-6.
• The teams last met in Columbus Nov. 30-Dec. 1, 2019, with Ohio State posting a sweep with 3-1 and 2-0 victories. The last series was in East Lansing Feb. 21-22, with 1-0 and 4-2 Ohio State wins.
• Ohio State has six Michigan natives on the roster – Quinn Preston (Trenton), Dalton Messina (Macomb), Grant Gabriele and Ryan Dickinson (Brighton), CJ Regula (Bloomfield Hills) and Patrick Guzzo (Marysville).

Buckeyes This and That

• Freshman defenseman Evan McIntyre had a team-best seven shot blocks in the series at Minnesota, with four in game one and three in game two.
• Gustaf Westlund, a Preseason Honorable Mention All-Big Ten choice, scored the Buckeyes’ first goal of the season Monday at Minnesota. He had a career-best 12 goals a season ago and tied for third on the team with 26 points.
• Preseason Second Team All-B1G Goalie Tommy Nappier started both games at Minnesota, with 23 saves in game one and 33 in game two.
• ESPNU will televise the Buckeyes’ home game vs. Wisconsin Dec. 4.
  TSN.ca and the TSN app will carry the NBCSN broadcasts from the Buckeyes’ series at Notre Dame Dec. 12-13.

Up Next

• The Buckeyes will host Wisconsin for two Big Ten games, with the teams facing off at 5:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday (Dec. 3-4).
• The first game will be on streamed through BTN+ with game two televised on ESPNU.