10/21/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Oct. 21, 2003
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Faceoff
The No. 12-ranked Ohio State men’s hockey (4-2-0, 3-1-0 CCHA) team plays host to Mercyhurst (0-1-0, 0-0-0 Atlantic Hockey) in a non-conference game Friday (Oct. 24) in Value City Arena. The Buckeyes, on a three-game winning streak, will be meeting the Lakers for the second time in program history.
The Broadcast
The Buckeyes’ game against Mercyhurst will be broadcast online by The Underground, Ohio State Student Radio, at underground.fm. Live stats can be found online at ohiostatebuckeyes.com. WOSU Radio coverage of Buckeye hockey returns with the Alaska Fairbanks games Oct. 31-Nov. 1.
Last Time Out
The Buckeyes swept Michigan State on the road last weekend by scores of 5-0 and 4-1. Mercyhurst last competed Oct. 11, with a 4-2 win over Brock University in an exhibition game.
Honored
Mike Betz was named the INCH (insidecollegehockey.com) National Player of the Week and the CCHA Defensive Player of the Week following his outstanding performance against Michigan State. Betz allowed just one goal in the two games combined, a goals-against average of .5 and stopped 47-of-48 shots, a save percentage of .979. It is the fifth time in his career Betz, Ohio State’s career leader in goalie wins, has been honored as a league player of the week.
Welcome Back
After sweeping Michigan State, the Buckeyes moved up into the national polls after one week out of the Top 15. Ohio State holds down the No. 12 spot in both the uscho.com and the USA Today/American Hockey Magazine rankings. In the INCH (insidecollegehockey.com) Power Poll (which ranks 20 teams), the squad moved from No. 19 to No. 14.
The Series
The Buckeyes and Mercyhurst College Lakers have met once, with Ohio State posting a 5-2 victory Nov. 30, 1999 in Value City Arena.
A Look at the Lakers
Mercyhurst is 0-1-0 on the year, with its loss coming on the road at Michigan Oct. 4, 5-3. Mike Carter led the team with a goal and an assist against UM, while Dave Borrelli and Erik Johnson also tallied. In their most recent time out, the Lakers beat Brock University, 4-2, in an exhibition game.
Picked to Place
The Lakers were picked to finish first in the Atlantic Hockey league after going 22-13-2 overall last season and finishing first in the MAAC with a record of 19-5-2. The squad won the conference tournament to earn its automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.
At the Helm
Rick Gotkin, a 1982 graduate of Brockport State, is in his 16th season as the head coach at Mercyhurst. He is 278-156-26 overall and at MC. Gotkin has overseen Mercyhurst’s transformation from Division III to Division II in1993 and then to Division I in 1999.
A New League
Mercyhurst is a member of the new Atlantic Hockey league. The league was founded over the summer after the teams in the MAAC Hockey League withdrew to form the new conference. The other teams in the league are American International, Army, Bentley, Canisius, Connecticut, Holy Cross, Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart. Atlantic Hockey has an automatic qualifier into the NCAA tournament (replacing the MAAC, which disbanded).
Ohio State is 1-0-0 against teams in Atlantic Hockey, with the one win coming over Mercyhurst. The Buckeyes will face Quinnipiac of AH later this season (Jan. 6 in Value City Arena).
Nice to Meet You
No current member of the Ohio State team has faced Mercyhurst or a team from the Atlantic Hockey league.
Homecoming
Three Ohio natives are on the Mercyhurst roster – Pat Henk of Mentor, Mike Pochatek of Berea and Andy Franck of Lakewood. Henk and Pochatek both played for the Cleveland Barons in the North American Hockey League.
Welcome Back
Former Buckeye Dave Smith, who played for the squad from 1989-92 and graduated in 1992, is an assistant coach and the recruiting coordinator for Mercyhurst. Smith played in 126 games in his Ohio State career, posting 57 goals, 83 assists and 140 points.
On Opposite Sides Now
Buckeye freshman forward Dave Barton and Mercyhurst freshman defenseman Jamie Hunt both hail from Calgary, Alberta, and played for the Calgary Canucks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. Barton was a two-time First Team All-AJHL honoree and served as a captain for the squad.
OSU Sweeps Michigan State
The Buckeyes posted their second consecutive sweep of Michigan State and extended their unbeaten streak over the Spartans to six (4-0-2) with two wins last weekend. It marked OSU’s first wins in East Lansing since the 1997 season and just its third and fourth wins there in program history. It was the first time the Spartans were swept at home since 1995.
In the first game, Ohio State used a solid team effort, with 10 Buckeyes posting at least one point, to shut out Michigan State, 5-0. Dan Knapp and Nate Guenin scored first-period goals, while Paul Caponigri added on a goal in the second and JB Bittner and Lee Spector ended the scoring with power-play tallies late in the third. Buckeye goalie Mike Betz stopped all 24 Michigan State shots for his ninth career shutout.
In the series finale, Scott May had three points, on two goals and an assist, to lead the squad to a 4-1 victory. Spector scored the gamewinner in the second period, while Bittner also tallied.
From Up North
Rochester, Mich., native Dan Knapp earned First Star of the Game accolades in the opener against Michigan State after posting a goal and an assist, including the gamewinner, against the Spartans. He had an assist in the series finale to extend his scoring streak to six and his team-best assist to total to seven.
Have a Game
Senior forward Scott May had three points in the series finale against Michigan State. He had a career-high tying two goals and added an assist for his first multiple-point game of the year. It was his most points in a game since scoring four against Bowling Green Jan. 17, 2003.
Back-to-Back
Junior Lee Spector, who had two career goals entering last weekend, had a goal in each game at Michigan State, including the gamewinner Friday. It was the first time Spector posted points in consecutive games, while the gamewinner was the first of his career. His goal Friday was the first power-play tally of his Buckeye career.
Back-to-Back-to-Back
JB Bittner enters the game vs. Mercyhurst on a three-game goal-scoring streak. He posted a goal in OSU’s win over Notre Dame and scored in each game against Michigan State. He is tied for third in the league with three goals in CCHA play.
Stopping Them All
OSU goalie Mike Betz stopped all 24 Spartan shots for his ninth career shutout Friday. He is one shutout shy of the all-time record of 10 set by Bill McKenzie (1970-72). The shutout was Betz’s first since Feb. 1, 2003 at Notre Dame.
From the Blueline
Sophomore defenseman Nate Guenin is tied for second in the league in scoring among defensemen with five points, on a goal and four assists. Guenin had a goal and an assist against Michigan State Friday for his second two-point game of the season and the fourth of his career.
A Team Effort
This season, 16 of 20 Buckeye skaters have at least one point, including 10 who have at least one goal. The squad had 11 players post at least one point in the win over Miami Oct. 4, while 10 had at least a point in the victory over Michigan State Oct. 17.
A Good Day to Play
The Buckeyes’ are undefeated on Saturday this season, going 3-0-0. The squad’s win over Michigan State Friday was their first in a weekend opener this year; the team is 1-2-0 on Friday so far this season.
Happy 150
The win Friday marked Ohio State head coach John Markell’s 150th career win. In his ninth year at the helm of the Buckeyes, he is 151-148-28 all-time.
Posting Plusses
Senior defenseman Doug Andress leads the Buckeyes (and the conference) with at +9 rating in all games so far this year. He is +1 or better in the last six games, including a team-best +3 in the second game against Notre Dame. Andress also has three assists on the year.
On the PK
The Buckeyes stopped the Spartans on all eight power-play chances in the series and now have not allowed a power-play tally in the last three games, going a perfect 12-for-12.
Help from the Blueline
Ohio State’s defensemen have contributed 15 of the squad’s 54 points this season (28%). Nate Guenin has five points (1-4), while Matt Waddell (0-4) has four, Doug Andress (0-3) has three, Tyson Strachan (1-1) has two and Reed Whiting has one (0-1).
Leaders of the Pack
In overall games this season, Buckeye forward Dan Knapp leads the CCHA in points with eight and in assists with seven. while Doug Andress leads the way with a +9 rating. In conference games, Knapp is tied for the lead with four assists and goalie Mike Betz is first in goals-against average with .67.
A Better Start than Ending
Last season, the Buckeyes ended the year with just one goal in their final three games total. In six games this season, the squad has scored at least two goals in each game, including five vs. Miami (Oct. 4) and at Michigan State (Oct. 17). The five-goal output was the first time OSU scored more than four goals in a game since Jan. 17 (a 6-1 win over Bowling Green). OSU’s nine goals in its series at Michigan State was the most in back-to-back games combined since scoring 12 against the Falcons Jan. 16-17.
A Good Sign
Buckeye junior captain JB Bittner has scored a point in all four Ohio State wins this season. The team is 4-0-0 when Bittner has a point this year.
On the Air
This season, at least nine Buckeye games will be televised, with three confirmed on CSTV, four on the Ohio News Network and one on Fox Sports Net Detroit. CSTV’s second-half schedule will be released at a later date.
OSU’s 2003-04 Television Schedule
Oct. 10 Notre Dame CSTV (L 2-5) Oct. 18 at MSU Comcast (W 4-1) Nov. 14 Michigan CSTV Dec. 5 Miami ONN Dec. 27 Maine CSTV Dec. 28 Everblades Championship CSTV Jan. 9 at Michigan Fox Sports Net Jan. 24 Michigan State ONN Feb. 14 Nebraska-Omaha ONN March 6 Miami ONN
What’s Up
Following the game against Mercyhurst, the Buckeyes will remain at home for a two-game CCHA series with Alaska Fairbanks Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 in Value City Arena in Columbus.
