Buckeye Hockey Earns First-Ever NCAA Berth – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/22/1998 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
March 22, 1998
COLUMBUS, Ohio – In its 35th year of intercollegiate competition, the Ohio State hockey team gained its first-ever berth in the NCAA Tournament today. The Buckeyes (24-12-2) gained the No. 4 seed in the West Regional and will meet the No. 5 seeded Yale Bulldogs (23-8-3) Friday night in Ann Arbor, Mich. The game is scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m. and will be played in the University of Michigan’s Yost Arena (6,343).
The winner of the OSU-Yale game will meet No. 1-seeded Michigan State Saturday night at 6:00 p.m. in Yost. Ohio State dropped a 3-2 double overtime decision to Michigan State last night in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association Championship game. Ohio State is one of two teams making their first appearance in the NCAA Hockey Tournament this season.
“It’s a nice reward for everyone’s hard work this season,” Ohio State head coach John Markell said. “It’s a stepping stone for our program, not only this season but for seasons to come.
“The team really came together this season after the first of the year. They started to believe in our systems and came to play every night. It’s an incredible tribute to them to become the first Ohio State team ever to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. But we’re not completely satisfied. We’re playing really well right now, and we’re going to Ann Arbor to win some hockey games.”
Joining No. 4 Ohio State, No. 5 Yale, and No. 1 Michigan State in the West Regional is No. 3 Michigan, No. 6 Princeton, and No. 2 North Dakota.
Completing the 12 team field in the East Regional held in Albany, N.Y. is Boston University (No. 1), Boston College (No. 2), Clarkson University (No. 3), Wisconsin (No. 4), New Hampshire (No. 5), and Colorado College (No. 6).
Two teams will advance from each regional and make up the NCAA Final Four held in Boston’s Fleet Center starting April 2.
