Men’s Hockey To Spend The Holiday Season in Vermont Tourney – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/20/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Dec. 20, 1999
Wednesday, Dec. 29, Ohio State at Vermont, 7 p.m.%^$
%^$Thursday, Dec. 30, Ohio State vs. Dartmouth, 4 p.m.%^$
%^$HOLIDAY HOCKEY
%^$The Ohio State hockey team (5-12-1, 3-10-1), after a 24-day break from competition, will participate in the Sheraton/Howard Bank Hockey Classic in Burlington, Vt., Dec. 29-30. The Buckeyes will battle host Vermont Thursday, Dec. 29, at 7 p.m. OSU then faces Dartmouth Dec. 30 at 4 p.m. Boston College is also participating in the tournament. Although brackets are predetermined, a tournament champion will be crowned. Teams will receive two points for a win and one point for a tie in their two games. If two or more teams remain tied at the conclusion of the tournament, margin of victory will be used to determine a champion.%^$
%^$THE BROADCAST
%^$The Ohio State hockey games against Vermont and Dartmouth will not be aired. Radio coverage on WOSU (820 AM) will resume Jan. 14, 2000, when the Buckeyes travel to Bowling Green State University.%^$
%^$Sound Bites
%^$Some can’t miss Ohio State notes that will make your job easier
%^$
%^$—OSU is 2-2 in Christmas tournaments under head coach John Markell. Last year, the Buckeyes split at the Mariucci Classic, falling 2-1 to Boston University and beating Minnesota, 6-5. In 1996, OSU fell to St. Lawrence, 7-6, but beat host Ferris State, 8-4 in the Pepsi College Hockey Tournament in Grand Rapids, Mich. In the 1990’s, OSU is 6-7-0 in holiday tourneys.%^$
%^$—In its last five games (3-1-1), Ohio State has averaged 3.2 goals per game. In the 11 games prior to that, the Buckeyes averaged just 1.27 goals per game.%^$
%^$—Jean-Francois Dufour recorded four points (1-3-4) in Ohio State’s most recent game, a Dec. 5 affair against Miami. Dufour has recorded four points in a game twice in the last five games, and has 10 points (4-6-10) in the last five games.%^$
%^$—OSU entered its most recent game (Dec. 5 vs. Miami) with one short-handed goal on the year. Ohio State doubled that total witht two short-handed tallies against the RedHawks. Eric Meloche and Jean-Francois Dufour both scored short-handed in that game.%^$
%^$CHRISTMAS IS THAT MUCH SWEETER
%^$After a tough 2-11-0 start, Ohio State turned things around in time for the holidays. The Buckeyes are unbeaten in four of their last five games (3-1-1) entering the Sheraton/Howard Bank Hockey Classic.%^$
%^$TYPICALLY HAPPY HOLIDAYS
%^$Since 1980, Ohio State is 11-8-1 in holiday tournament games. OSU’s last holiday tournament championship came in 1991 when the Buckeyes defeated Colgate and Clarkson to capture the Syracuse Invitational.%^$
%^$COVERING THE BUCKEYES AT UVM
%^$Ohio State will depart for Vermont by plane on Dec. 28 and reside at the Sheraton Burlington (ph: 802-865-6600) during its stay. The press box phone number at Gutterson Fieldhouse is 802-658-0653. Contact Ohio State assistant director of athletic communications Dan Jones for information on the Buckeyes during their stay in Burlington, Vt.%^$
%^$SKIP THE FRIENDLY INTRODUCTIONS
%^$The three coaches involved in the Ohio State games at the upcoming tournament – Vermont’s Mike Gilligan, Ohio State’s John Markell, and Dartmouth’s Bob Gaudet – have a combined 32 years of coaching experience. Despite that, however, Markell has never faced either Vermont or Dartmouth, and Gilligan and Gaudet have never faced Ohio State.%^$
%^$OHIO STATE VS. THE ECAC
%^$OSU will face a pair of teams this weekend that compete in the Eastern College Athletic Conference. The Buckeyes are 18-13-5 all-time against ECAC schools, including 3-3-2 under head coach John Markell. Ohio State has not faced an ECAC school yet this year, but will square off against Cornell and Colgate in January. To date this season, CCHA schools are 7-4-0 versus ECAC schools.%^$
%^$OHIO STATE VERSUS NON-CONFERENCE
%^$Ohio State is 2-2-0 against non-CCHA teams this year, with wins over Wayne State and Mercyhurst and a pair of losses to Maine. The Buckeyes were 2-5-1 in non-conference games last year and are 11-13-2 in non-league games under John Markell.%^$
%^$OHIO STATE-VERMONT SERIES INFO
%^$Ohio State leads the all-time series with Vermont, 3-1-0. The schools have not met since the 1978-79 season when the Buckeyes visited Vermont for a pair of games. OSU notched 7-5 and 6-5 wins in that series. The prior season, 1977-78, the Catamounts came to Columbus for two games. OSU dropped the first game, 5-4, in overtime but won the second, 5-2. Ohio State has outscored Vermont 22-17 combined in the four previous meetings.%^$
%^$OHIO STATE-DARTMOUTH SERIES INFO
%^$Ohio State has faced the Big Green just one time in the 37-year history of the program. The Buckeyes and Dartmouth tied 3-3 in the RPI Tournament during the 1973-74 season.%^$
%^$SCOUTING VERMONT
%^$The Catamounts stand 4-7-2 overall and 2-2-1 (ninth place) in the ECAC. Three of Vermont’s last five games have either been decided by one goal or ended in a tie. Vermont is led offensively by J.F. Caudron (9-11-20 in 12 games) and captain Kevin Karlander (4-13-17). Caudron leads the team with seven multiple-point games. The Catamounts have experimented with three goaltenders this year, all of which have played in at least four games. Andrew Allen has seen the most action (353:50) and sports a 5.09 goals against average along with an .852 save percentage. Tim Peters has seen over 238 minutes of action in net and will bring a 4.53 GAA and .839 save percentage into the upcoming tournament. Vermont ranks fourth in the ECAC in scoring (3.08 goals per game), but last in scoring defense (4.69 goals allowed per game) and penalty-killing (46-of-69, .667). Vermont is coached by Mike Gilligan, a 1970 graduate of Salem State University. Gilligan will bring a 388-282-41 career record into the tournament.%^$
%^$SCOUTING DARTMOUTH
%^$Dartmouth enters the tournament with a 2-5-3 overall mark and a 1-2-3 record in conference play (tied with Vermont for ninth place). Five of Dartmouth’s last eight games have either ended in a tie or been decided by one goal. Sophomore Mike Maturo leads the Big Green offensively (3-4-7), followed by freshman Trevor Byrne (3-2-5). Dartmouth has struggled to score goals as of late, producing only two in its last three games. At the same time, the Big Green has allowed an average of only 1.7 goals per game in its last three contests. Dartmouth ranks last in the ECAC in scoring (2.10 goals per game), but sixth in team defense, allowing 3.10 goals per game. Freshman Nick Boucher has seen the majority of time in goal for Dartmouth, and will bring a .922 save percentage and 2.43 goals against average into the tournament. Bob Gaudet, a 1981 graduate of Dartmouth, is in his third season behind the Big Green bench. He’ll bring a 116-177-41 career mark into the tournament.%^$
%^$OHIO STATE’S LAST ACTION
%^$The Buckeyes have been out of action since a 4-1 win over Miami on Dec. 5 in Value City Arena. Ohio State’s stars shined brightly in the game, as Eric Meloche (3-1-4) and Jean-Francois Dufour (1-3-4) each totaled four points. Ray Aho was extremely reliable in net for Ohio State, stopping 31-of-32 Miami shots. %^$
%^$VERMONT’S LAST ACTION
%^$The Catamounts won a 4-3 overtime thriller versus Niagara on Dec. 4 in their last action. J.F. Caudron scored the game-winner at 3:36 of the overtime period, marking his second goal of the game. Martin Wilde and Mink Graham also scored for Vermont. Shawn Conschafter was in goal for the Catmounts and stopped 23-of-26 Niagara shots. At the time, Niagara was ranked 13th nationally. Two of the four Vermont goals came on the power-play.%^$
%^$DARTMOUTH’S LAST ACTION
%^$Dartmouth was last in action against Harvard on Dec. 17 at home. The Big Green and Crimson skated to a 1-1 tie in that game, as both teams scored :28 seconds apart in the third period and played a scoreless overtime. Michael Byrne accounted for the lone Dartmouth goal. Goaltender Nick Boucher stopped 35-36 Harvard shots.%^$
%^$IS BIGGER BETTER?
%^$Ohio State will be playing an ice surface that measures 200 x 90 when it visits Vermont. The standard ice surface size, including the one found in Value City Arena, is 200 x 85. The Buckeyes are 1-3-0 on non-standard ice surfaces this season. All four of those games were played on Olympic size ice surfaces, which measure 200 x 100. Last year, OSU went 3-3-0 on non standard ice surfaces (2-0 at Alaska-Fairbanks, 1-3 at Minnesota).%^$
%^$WELL-ROUNDED TEAM
%^$For the second time this season, Ohio State scored one goal of each type (even strength, power-play, short-handed) in its most recent outing against Miami. The Buckeyes pulled the same feat on Oct. 8 at Alaska-Fairbanks.%^$
%^$AS IF YOU HAVEN’T HEARD ENOUGH MILLENIUM HYPE ALREADY
%^$The two games in the Vermont Tournament will mark the final Ohio State hockey games in this century. In the 1900’s, Ohio State has an all-time record of 554-602-77 (36 years).%^$
%^$H-O-T A-H-O
%^$In four of his last five starts, senior goaltender Ray Aho has held opponents to two goals or less. In Aho’s last 320:24 (nearly five and one-half games), he sports a 2.25 goals against average.%^$
%^$STARS COME OUT
%^$Eric Meloche and Jean-Francois Dufour each recorded four points in OSU’s most recent game (Dec. 5 vs. Miami). The duo, which has played on the same line for the majority of the season, accounted for eight of the nine points recorded by the Buckeyes in that game. The pair ranks first (Dufour, 8-11-19) and second (Meloche, 9-5-14) on the team in scoring, and has accounted for exactly 30 percent of OSU’s offense this season.%^$
%^$SPEAKING OF MELOCHE
%^$Meloche notched his first career hat trick in Ohio State’s most recent game (Dec. 5 against Miami), marking the first hat trick by an OSU player since Hugo Boisvert scored three goals against Cornell on Jan. 15, 1999, in Ithaca, N.Y. Meloche’s previous high for goals in a game was two, achieved eight times. He now has nine multiple goal games in his 134-game career. %^$
%^$ONE MORE MELOCHE
%^$Meloche’s four points against Miami vaulted him into a tie for 36th place on Ohio State’s all-time scoring list. He now has 58-54-112 totals and is tied with former Buckeye Scott Rex. Meloche needs three more points to tie Don Oliver for 35th place on that list.%^$
%^$MAKING STRIDES
%^$Sophomore Nick Ganga was the only Buckeye besides Dufour and Meloche to record a poing in OSU’s most recent game against Miami. Ganga now ranks fourth on the team with 2-6-8 totals in 18 games. Last season, Ganga scored a total of eight points (4-4-8) the entire season (35 games). %^$
%^$HIGH FLYING O Vs. STAY-AT-HOME D
%^$The Vermont tournament will pit the ECAC vs. the CCHA in Ohio State’s case. Over the years, eastern college hockey has earned a reputation as a faster, more offensive game, while the CCHA has come to be known for its stingy, stronger defense. The stats prove the stereotypes correct, though possibly not to the extent one would think. CCHA teams are averaging 2.94 goals per game this season, while ECAC schools are scoring 3.09 goals per game. Defensively, CCHA schools are allowing 2.92 goals per game, while ECAC schools are surrendering 3.15 goals per game.%^$
%^$MOST RECENTLY Vs. THE ECAC
%^$The last time Ohio State faced an ECAC school was Jan. 17, 1999, when the Buckeyes and Colgate skated to a 2-2 tie in Hamilton, N.Y. Two nights earlier, Ohio State had beaten ECAC foe Cornell 5-2 in Ithaca, N.Y. The prior season (1997-98), Ohio State went 2-0-1 against ECAC schools beating and tieing Clarkson (1-1, 6-1), and blanking Yale (4-0) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.%^$
%^$STRANGERS IN THE GUTTERSON
%^$Excluding first-year Division I programs Wayne State, Mercyhurst, and Nebraska-Omaha, Vermont and Dartmouth are the only teams on Ohio State’s 1999-00 that no current Buckeyes have a single career point against.%^$
%^$JUST LIKE SWITZERLAND
%^$The Ohio State-Dartmouth game will mark the only scheduled neutral site game the Buckeyes will play this year. Last season OSU was 0-5-0 playing at neutral sites, but lost three of those games by one goal (one in double overtime to then no. 1 Boston College).%^$
%^$NOW THAT’S BIG
%^$The combined capacities of the home arenas of school’s participating in the Vermont tournament – Boston College’s Conte Forum (7,884), Dartmouth’s Thompson Arena (4,500), and Vermont’s Gutterson Fieldhouse (4,035) – do not equal the capacity of Ohio State’s Value City Arena (17,500). Last season, Ohio State set an on-campus NCAA attendance record for college hockey when 17,249 fans watched Ohio State and Michigan skate to a 1-1 tie on Jan. 23.%^$
%^$CHART CLIMBER
%^$Senior Ryan Jestadt leads this year’s team with 50 penalty minutes in 18 games and is now tied for fourth place all-time on Ohio State’s career penalty minute list. Jestadt has 397 career PIM’s, and needs 80 more to tie current OSU assistant coach Steve Brent for third place on that list. Brent, a three-time captain, was whistled for 477 penalty minutes from 1994-97.%^$
%^$YOU BETTER SLOW US DOWN EARLY
%^$Ohio State is 5-1-0 this year when wscoring first and 5-0-0 when leading after the first period.%^$
%^$LACK OF PATRIOTS
%^$Just one Ohio State player hails from New England, site of the upcoming tournament. Freshman defenseman Pete Broccoli – one of only two rookies to play in every game so far this season – is originally from Milford, Conn. Broccoli recorded his first career point on Nov. 30 when OSU ran past Mercyhurst, 5-2.%^$
%^$WINNIPEG TIES
%^$Ohio State head coach John Markell graduated from Bowling Green in 1979 and signed a free agent contract with the National Hockey League’s Winnipeg Jets. He named the Jets’ Rookie of the Year that season. Dartmouth head coach Bob Gaudet graduated from Dartmouth in 1981, and also signed a free agent contract with the Winnipeg Jets.%^$
%^$JUST AN OBSERVATION
%^$Dartmouth is one of three schools that Ohio State faces this year which have mascots that don’t end in ‘s’: Dartmouth Big Green, Cornell Big Red, and Notre Dame Fighting Irish.%^$
%^$EASTWARD BOUND – FOR ONCE
%^$The Vermont Tournament marks the first and only time this year that the Buckeyes will travel east for a road trip. Ohio State is the easternmost school in the CCHA, and hence travels west for all other road games this season.%^$
%^$AND THEN THERE WERE EIGHT
%^$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).
