Men’s Hockey Hosts Newest CCHA Foe UNO – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/15/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Nov. 15, 1999
FRIDAY, NOV. 19 — NEBRASKA OMAHA at OHIO STATE, 7:05 p.m.
SATURDAY, NOV. 20 — NEBRASKA OMAHA AT OHIO STATE, 7:05 p.m.
A NEW FACE
The Ohio State hockey team (2-11-0, 1-9-0), after dropping both games of a two-game series to Northern Michigan last weekend, will try to snap an 11-game losing skid when it faces Nebraska Omaha (2-3-3, 2-3-3) in a two game series this weekend. The Buckeyes and Mavericks will meet both Friday and Saturday at 7:05 p.m. Both games will be played in college hockey’s premier venue – Value City Arena (17,500).
THE BROADCAST
Both of this weekend’s games will be aired live on WOSU Radio (820 AM). Herb Howenstine and former Buckeye John Mowat will call the action. Ohio State hockey games can also now be heard on the internet at the official site of the OSU Department of Athletics – ohiostatebuckeyes.com. Friday’s game will also be produced for a tape delay broadcast on Central Ohio Sport! Television – the state’s newest all sports channel that reaches over 300,000 households in central Ohio. Check your local cable listings for the replay time.
Sound Bites
Some can’t miss Ohio State notes that will make your job easier
—The last time Ohio State met a team that was in its first year of CCHA competition, the Buckeyes came away with two wins. Those games came on Nov. 28-29, 1997, at Northern Michigan when OSU won 5-1 and 5-4.
—The last time OSU head coach John Markell played two regular season games in one weekend against teams he had never faced before, the Buckeyes went unbeaten (1-0-1). Those games came on Jan. 15 and 17, 1999, when Ohio State beat Cornell 5-3 and tied Colgate 2-2 on the road.
—Junior defenseman Andre Signoretti broke a nine-game scoreless streak last weekend with a goal and an assist in Friday’s game. It also marked his first multiple point game of the year.
—Ohio State and Nebraska Omaha boast the two largest arenas in the CCHA. OSU plays in luxurious Value City Arena (17,500), while UNO plays in the Omaha Civic Auditorium (8,314).
WELCOME TO THE CCHA
Nebraska Omaha became the 12th member of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association on June 24, 1998 and is enjoying its first active season in the league this year. UNO picked up its first CCHA win ever on Nov. 6 when it outmuscled Notre Dame 6-5.
HOCKEY IN OMAHA?
You better believe it. Entering this season, the Mavericks had sold out 41 consecutive games in their 8,314 seat arena. Omaha is also home to the United States Hockey League’s Omaha Lancers, a Junior A team that has produced numerous college players and sold out over 200 consecutive games. Ohio State defensemen Eric Skaug, forced to sit out this season because of Major Junior experience, came to Columbus by way of the Omaha Lancers.
OSU-UNO SERIES INFO
Ohio State and Nebraska Omaha have never met previously. The Mavericks will be the 89th different opponent Ohio State has faced in its 37 years of college hockey. Other first-time opponents this season: Wayne State and Mercyhurst.
SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS
Nebraska-Omaha rolls into Columbus with a five game unbeaten streak (2-0-3). The Mavericks haven’t lost since a 2-0 defeat at Northern Michigan on Oct. 29. During their current unbeaten run, UNO is allowing just 2.9 goals per game. Jason White leads the team in scoring with 4-4-8 totals, while Allan Carr ranks second (2-4-6). Kendall Sidoruk has seen all of UNO’s action in goal this season. A native of Spiritwood, Sask., Sidoruk boasts a 3.28 goals against average to go along with an .887 save percentage. The Mavericks have produced the exact same number of shots on goal as their opponents through eight games this season – 239 (29.9 per game). UNO is coached by third-year man Mike Kemp, a 1975 graduate of Gustavus Adolphus. Kemp spent 14 years as an assistant coach at Wisconsin before becoming the head coach at UNO. He’ll bring a 25-45-6 career record into this weekend.
UNO LAST WEEKEND
Nebraska Omaha hosted Western Michigan University and earned a 3-1 win and a 4-4 tie against the Broncos. White led UNO offensively in the series with one goal and three assists. Sidoruk stopped 26-of-27 WMU shots in Friday night’s win and combined in the two games made 51 saves on 56 Bronco shots (.911 save percentage). Nebraska Omaha nearly pulled off the sweep of the Broncos. In Saturday’s game, UNO led 4-3 late in the third period, but Western Michigan’s Ben Gagnon scored a short-handed goal with just over four minutes remaining to tie the game.
JUST AN OBSERVATION
Both Ohio State’s and Nebraska Omaha’s starting goalies wear No. 31 – Ray Aho for OSU and Kendall Sidoruk for UNO.
WHEN YOU THINK OF OMAHA….
…you think of the College World Series, played in Omaha’s Rosenblatt Stadium. Ohio State’s 1999 baseball team came within one win of the College World Series. After taking a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series against Cal State Fullerton last June, the Buckeyes dropped the final two games of the series. OSU still finished the season with a 50-14 overall record and as Big Ten regular season champions.
OHIO STATE LAST WEEKEND
The Buckeyes made the 11-hour journey to Northern Michigan and dropped both games to the Wildcats, falling 4-2 Friday night and 4-0 Saturday night. Ohio State battled back from a 2-0 deficit Friday and tied the score a 2-2, but Northern Michigan connected twice with five-on-five goals in the game’s final 25 minutes for the win. Andre Signoretti and Eric Meloche scored the OSU goals, which both came on the power-play. Signoretti also added an assist. OSU was outshot 40-25 in the game, and Ohio State goaltender Ray Aho made 36 saves. On Saturday, Northern Michigan used three special teams goals and a hot goaltender to notch a 4-0 win over OSU. NMU netminder Dan Ragusett collected his third shutout of the year in the win. The Buckeyes were outshot, 27-21. Aho and freshman Peter Wishloff split time in goal for Ohio State.
SPECIAL TEAMS LAST WEEKEND
Ohio State converted on 2-of-15 power-play attempts last weekend (.133) and successfully stopped 10-of-14 opponent power-plays (.714). The Buckeyes tied a season high with two power-play goals in one game on Friday. OSU was also shut out on the power-play Saturday for only the fourth time this season.
A LITTLE MORE SPECIAL TEAMS
Ohio State has scored four power-play goals in the last three games. Prior to that, the Buckeyes scored just seven power-play goals in 10 games.
THIS STREAK IS FINALLY OVER
Finally Ohio State will face a team that is not nationally ranked this weekend when Nebraska Omaha visits. The Buckeyes have played eight consecutive games against nationally ranked opponents (two each against Michigan State, Maine, Michigan, and Northern Michigan). Entering last weekend, NMU was No. 12 in the USA Today/American Hockey Magazine national poll.
THIS STREAK IS NOT OVER
Ohio State is in the midst of a rough 11-game losing streak, marking the second longest losing skid in school history. The most losses in-a-row by an Ohio State team came at the end of the 1992-93 season when the Buckeyes lost 15 straight.
FEEL FREE TO SKIP THIS PART
Ohio State was shut out for the third time this season in only 13 games Saturday against Northern Michigan. The school record for the most times OSU has been blanked in one season is four – set by both the 1968-69 team and the 1995-96 team.
TOO MANY TO HANDLE
Ray Aho made 36 saves in Friday’s 4-2 loss to Northern Michigan, marking his third highest total of the season.Aho made 41 saves earlier this year against Maine (Oct. 31) and 39 against Alaska-Fairbanks (Oct. 9).
RISING STOCK
Freshman Luke Pavlas, a native of Anchorage, Alaska, assisted on Eric Meloche’s goal Friday night against Northern Michigan and has three points in his last three games (1-2-3). On Saturday against the Wildcats, Pavlas, a recruited walk-on, was rewarded and moved up the line chart to center Ohio State’s first line between Meloche and Jean-Francois Dufour.
SPEAKING OF MELOCHE
Meloche scored his team leading fifth goal Friday against NMU, a tip-in tally on the power-play. It was Meloche’s 24th career power-play goal. With three more power-play scores, he can move into a tie for 10th place on Ohio State’s career power-play goals list, tying former Buckeye Paul Rutherford. Andy Browne is Ohio State’s all-time leading power-play goal scorer (45).
MORE MELOCHE RECORDS
Meloche’s goal also vaulted him into 39th place on Ohio State’s career scoring list, tying with former OSU defenseman Mark Shortt (1983-’86).
STRUGGLING AT EVEN STRENGTH
Five of the last seven goals Ohio State has scored have come by way of the power-play. OSU did not score a five-on-five goal last weekend, and has just two even strength goals in its last four games.
RARE OCCURENCE
Ohio State’s Nick Ganga was awarded a penalty shot in Saturday’s game against Northern Michigan when he was dragged down from behind during a breakaway. It marked only the second Ohio State penalty shot in the past three seasons. Ganga tried to beat NMU goalie Dan Ragusett low on his stick side but was unsuccessful.
EVERYTHING GETS BETTER WITH AGE
OSU freshman Peter Wishloff made his second collegiate start last Saturday against Northern Michigan. He made nine saves on 12 Wildcat shots and was pulled midway through the second period in favor of Ray Aho.
WHO’S CREATING THE CHANCES?
Eric Meloche leads Ohio State in total shots on goal with 47. Jean-Francois Dufour and Andre Signoretti are tied for second on that list with 33 each. Signoretti leads all defensemen in that department, and Miguel Lafleche leads all freshmen with 17.
WHO’S DOING THE SCORING?
Ohio State defensemen have accounted for 29 percent of the team’s total points scored (20-of-68). Forwards have accounted for 69 percent of the team’s points (47-of-68). By class, freshmen have produced 13 percent of the team’s total points (9-of-68), sophomores 22 percent (15-of-68), juniors 34 percent (23-of-68), and seniors 31 percent (21-of-68).
SAME TEAMS, DIFFERENT ERAS
Although no Ohio State and Nebraska Omaha players were on the same team directly before they came to college, some did come from the same programs. The Springfield Blues of the North American Hockey League produced current Buckeyes Nic Boileau and Ryan Jestadt and current Maverick Josh Lampman. The Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League produced current Buckeye Eric Skaug and current Maverick Jeff Edwards. The Fargo-Moorehead Ice Sharks of the USHL produced Buckeye Benji Wolke and Maverick Brian Haaland.
INJURY REPORT
OSU junior defenseman Jaisen Freeman sustained a high ankle sprain against Michigan Nov. 5. A key component of the Ohio State power-play with his trademark cannon slapshot, Freeman is expected to miss three more weeks according to Ohio State hockey trainer Matt Schatzke.
MAYBE THIS WILL DO THE TRICK
Value City Arena may be just what Ohio State needs to snap its 11-game losing streak. The Buckeyes are averaging 2.67 goals per game at home compared to just 1.14 goals per game on the road. OSU also has allowed more goals per game on the road, although the difference is not as drastic. The Buckeyes are surrendering four goals per game on the road and 3.83 per game at home.
IN NEED OF A WIN
Since Value City Arena opened its doors to the Ohio State hockey team on Jan. 2,1999, the Buckeyes have always a winning record in the building. If OSU is to keep that streak alive, it must win Friday night against the Mavericks. Ohio State is currently 9-8-1 all-time in Value City Arena (8-3-1 last year, 1-5-0 this year).
LEADING MAN
OSU’s Jean-Francois Dufour continues to lead Ohio State in scoring with 4-5-9 totals. He registered one assist in two games last weekend against Northern Michigan. Dufour has scored at least a point in eight of Ohio State’s 13 games this season.
SIBLING RIVALRY
Jean-Francois Dufour and brother and former Buckeye Pierre Dufour are Ohio State’s second all-time leading scoring brother tandem. Including this year’s stats, the duo has 61-100-161 totals in 213 combined games played. Paul and Perry Pooley is Ohio State’s all-time leading brother scoring tandem. That pair combined for 443 points in 301 combined career games played.
UNHAPPY HOMECOMING
Freshman Nic Boileau, a native of Marquette, Mich., played in front a hometown crowd at Northern Michigan last weekend. Boileau played in both games against the Wildcats and put one shot on goal, but failed to crack the scoring column. “It’s always nice to come home,” Boileau told The Mining Journal after Friday’s game. It’s a special thing. I haven’t been home since I was 15.” Boileau left Marquette when he was 15 years old to play junior hockey in Detroit, Mich.
FUTURE BUCKEYES
Early signing period begins this Wednesday, Nov. 10, and runs through Wednesday, Nov. 17. A press release outlining Ohio State’s early signees is expected to be made available at the end of this week when all national letters of intent have been received.
THREE FRENCHMEN IN A ROW?
If Dufour continues to lead Ohio State in scoring this season, it will mark the third straight season that the team’s most prolific scorer was French-Canadian. Hugo Boisvert led OSU in scoring for the past two seasons. In 1996-97, French-Canadian winger Pierre Dufour finished second on the team with 39 points, behind Newfoundland native Chad Power.
IT’S NOT TIME TO PANIC
Ohio State has enjoyed success the past two seasons despite getting off to slow starts. In the 1997-98 season, the Buckeyes were 9-10-1 at one point before finishing the season with 18 wins in their final 22 games and landing in the NCAA Final Four. Last season, Ohio State was a dismal 1-6-1 after eight games, but rebounded for a 21-win season and a second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament.
AND THEN THERE WERE EIGHT
Ohio State is one of only eight schools in the country that have qualified for the last two NCAA Tournaments. The others are New Hampshire, North Dakota, Michigan, Colorado College, Clarkson, Boston College, and Michigan State.
BUILD FOR THE FUTURE
Ohio State has had seven freshmen earn some type of all-Rookie team honors (either first team or honorable mention) the past three seasons, more than any other school in the conference. OSU joins Notre Dame as the only school to place someone on the all-Rookie team for three consecutive seasons (Jason Crain, 1999, Jeff Maund, 1998, Hugo Boisvert, 1997).
