No. 6/7 Men’s Hockey Team Faces Miami in Home-and-Home Series – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/2/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Dec. 2, 2003
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No. 6/7 Ohio State
(11-5-0, 7-3-0 CCHA)
vs.
Miami
(8-6-2, 6-3-1 CCHA)
Friday, Dec. 5, 7:05 p.m.
Value City Arena, Columbus, Ohio
Saturday, Dec. 6, 7:35 p.m.
Goggin Ice Arena, Oxford, Ohio
The Series
Overall – OSU leads 49-43-6
In Columbus – OSU leads 31-13-3
In Oxford- Miami leads 28-16-3
Last 10 – OSU leads 6-4-0
The 2003-04 Meeting
OSU 5, Miami 3
Lefty McFadden Invitational Consolation
Oct. 4, Dayton, Ohio
Faceoff
The No. 6/7 Ohio State men’s hockey team (11-5-0, 8-3-0 CCHA) will face the Miami RedHawks (8-6-2, 6-3-1 CCHA) in a home-and-home series this weekend. The teams will face off at 7:05 p.m. Friday in Value City Arena and then will meet at 7:35 p.m. Saturday at Goggin Ice Arena in Oxford, Ohio. Friday is Toys for Tots Night at Value City Arena. Fans that bring a new toy to the game will receive a ticket for $2.
The Broadcast
The games between the Buckeyes and RedHawks will be broadcast live by WOSU Radio (820 AM/wosu.org), with Neil Sika (play-by-play) and former Buckeye John Mowat (color) will call the action. The Ohio News Network, with Jeff Hogan (play-by-play) and former Buckeye Bill McKenzie (color), will televise the game Friday. The Underground, OSU student radio, will have the Friday game live on the Internet at www.underground.fm. On a Roll
The Buckeyes are on a season-high four-game winning streak entering the Miami series. During the streak, the team is outscoring its opponents 4.5 to 1.5 goals a game.
First to 11
The Buckeyes are the first team in the nation to record 11 wins this season and are one of just two (Maine is the other) to post double-digit wins. Five – North Dakota, Boston College, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and St. Cloud State – have nine victories so far this year.
Last Time Out
Ohio State is coming off a 7-0 win at Bowling Green Saturday. Miami had last weekend off, but swept Alaska Fairbanks by scores of 7-1 Nov. 21 and 5-4 (in overtime) Nov. 22 in Oxford, Ohio, in its last action.
In the Rankings
The Buckeyes moved up in two of three national polls this week. In the USCHO.com poll, the squad moved up three spots to No. 6, while in the USA Today/American Hockey Magazine rankings, the team went from No. 7 to No. 8. In the INCH Power Poll (insidecollegehockey.com) rankings, the squad remained at No. 11.
Where They Stand
The Buckeyes enter the Miami series tied with Notre Dame for first place in the CCHA with 16 points. (OSU, with 11 games played, has a game in hand on the Irish.) Miami and Michigan State are tied for third with 13 points in 10 games.
A Full Slate
All 12 CCHA teams are in action this weekend in league play. Miami-Ohio State, Northern Michigan-Lake Superior and Michigan State-Michigan all have home-and-home series, while Ferris State travels to Bowling Green, Nebraska-Omaha journeys to Alaska Fairbanks and Notre Dame plays at Western Michigan.
The Series
Ohio State leads the all-time series with the RedHawks, 49-43-6, including a mark of 3-1-0 last season. In Columbus, OSU leads 31-13-3, while in Oxford, Miami leads 28-16-3. OSU includes one more win in its record than Miami, as it includes a win Feb. 25, 1966 the RedHawks do not.
Markell vs. MU
Ohio State head coach John Markell, in his ninth full year at the helm, is 13-16-2 all-time vs. Miami. He recorded his 100th career win vs. the RedHawks Feb. 10, 2001.
Even It Up
In the last 10 meetings in league play, the Buckeyes and RedHawks are tied, 5-5-0. OSU had a three-game winning streak stopped in the last meeting.
In the last 10 meetings overall, the Buckeyes hold a 6-4-0 lead including their win earlier this season.
A Weekend Cluster
This marks Ohio State’s third series against a team in its scheduling cluster this season. The Buckeyes are 3-1-0 in cluster play to rank first in their group, with a sweep at Michigan State and a split at home against Michigan. Miami and Michigan are tied for second at 2-2-0 and Michigan State is fourth with a 1-3-0 ledger.
The other teams in the cluster with Ohio State and Miami – Michigan and Michigan State – also have a home-and-home series this weekend.
A Preview
The Buckeyes and RedHawks already have faced off this season. The teams met in the consolation game of the Lefty McFadden Invitational in Dayton, Ohio, Oct. 4, where the Buckeyes posted a 5-3 victory over the RedHawks. In the win, 11 Buckeyes posted at least one point. Dave Steckel (2-0), Paul Caponigri (1-1) and Nate Guenin (0-2) each had two points, while Scott May and Tyson Strachan each chipped in a goal and JB Bittner, Daymen Bencharski, Chris Olsgard, Dan Knapp and Doug Andress each had an assist. Dave Caruso made 30 saves to record the win in net.
The 2002-03 Season
The Buckeyes went 3-1-0 against the RedHawks last season. Ohio State swept the series in Columbus Dec. 6-7 by scores of 4-0 and 5-3 and won in Oxford, 4-1, Feb. 13. Miami won a neutral site contest in Cincinnati, 1-0, Feb. 15.
In a Cluster
Since the CCHA started cluster scheduling in 1999-00, OSU is 9-7-0 against Miami, its rivalry partner and the team it is paired with every season. The squad was 3-1-0 against the RedHawks in both 2000 and 2003, 2-2-0 in 2002 and 1-3-0 in 2001.
Against Miami
Dave Steckel (6-4) and Paul Caponigri (2-8) lead the Buckeyes with 10 points each against the RedHawks. Dan Knapp is a team-best +4 vs. Miami.
A Look at Miami
Miami is 8-6-2 on the year and tied for third in the CCHA with a record of 6-3-1. Derek Edwardson leads the team in points with 23 and goals with nine. Mike Kompon is second with 20 points and ranks first with 15 assists. Greg Hogeboom has an 8-11-19 line to rank third. In net, two freshmen have been splitting time. Brandon Crawford-West is first with a 2.58 goals-against average in eight games, while Steve Hartley has a 2.63 goals-against average in eight outings.
Enrico Blasi, a 1994 graduate of Miami, is in his fifth season at the helm of his alma mater. He has a career mark of 74-81-12.
The “D” vs. the “O”
The Buckeyes enter the series vs. Miami first in the conference in goals-against in league play, allowing 1.82 goals an outing. The RedHawks are first in conference play in goals scored, averaging 3.8. Ohio State is second in scoring with 3.64 goals a game, while Miami is fourth in team defense with 2.60 goals allowed a game.
Matching OFfenses
The Buckeyes and RedHawks have tallied the same number of goals (55) in the same number of games (16) this season to tie for 14th in scoring offense in the nation.
The PP vs. the PK
The series also matches the league’s best penalty-killing unit (Ohio State) vs. its top-producing power play (Miami). OSU has stopped 47-of-50 opponent chances in league play for a CCHA-best .940 penalty killing percentage. Miami has converted 15-of-52 opportunities, a success rate of .288.
We’ll Meet Again
The Buckeyes and RedHawks will complete the season series with another home-and-home series. The teams will meet in Columbus Friday, March 5 and in Oxford Saturday, March. 6.
Competing for the Cup
Ohio State, Miami and Bowling Green are battling for the Ohio Cup again this season. The traveling trophy is presented annually by the Columbus-based Buckeye Sports Bulletin to the team with the best record against its instate opponents. The Buckeyes won the Ohio Cup last season for their fourth title overall. BGSU leads the way with 13 trophies.
The 2003-04 Ohio Cup Standings 1. Bowing Green 1-1-1 2. Ohio State 1-0-0 3. Miami 0-1-1
A Look Back – OSU 7, BGSU 0
The Buckeyes blanked Bowling Green, 7-0, Saturday at BGSU Ice Arena in Bowling Green. After a scoreless first period, Ohio State exploded for four goals in the second period and three in the third, including two shorthanded goals and three power-play tallies. Against the Falcons, 12 Buckeyes had at least one point, while six had multiple points. Dave Steckel had two goals, Scott May and Nate Guenin had a goal and an assist each and Dave Barton, Sean Collins and Paul Caponigri each had two helpers. JB Bittner, Matt Waddell and Andrew Schembri scored the other goals for the Buckeyes, while Doug Andress, Matt Beaudoin and Rod Pelley all posted assists.
Blanking
Senior goalie Mike Betz tied the OSU program record for career shutouts against Bowling Green Saturday, as he stopped all 26 Falcon shots for his second shutout of the season. He has 10 career shutouts, tying him with Bill McKenzie (1970-72). Betz set the program record for shutouts in a season with five in 2001-02.
Shorty
Dave Steckel scored two shorthanded goals in the second period against Bowling Green. The two scores tied the OSU record set by Paul Pooley, Feb. 14, 1981, also vs. BGSU in BGSU Ice Arena. Steckel is the first Buckeye to have multiple shorthanded goals in a season since Jean-Francois Dufour and Eric Meloche each had two in the 1999-00 season.
Lighting the Lamp
Ohio State’s seven goals in its victory over Bowling Green were a season high. It was the most goals scored by the Buckeyes since tallying nine in a 9-0 victory over Wayne State Nov. 9, 2001. It marked the third consecutive game the Buckeyes scored at least six goals against Bowling Green, as OSU swept the Falcons by scores of 6-3 and 6-1 Jan. 16-17 in Value City Arena.
It’s a Power-Play Goal
The Buckeyes scored a season-high three power-play goals against Bowling Green. It was the first time the team scored three power-play tallies since Jan. 7 against Findlay.
JB Bittner posted his team-best sixth power-play goal of the season vs. BGSU. He is tied for second in the nation in the category and leads the CCHA.
After going six games without a power-play score, Ohio State now has scored with the man advantage in back-to-back games.
Welcome to the Bigs
Former Buckeye Ryan Kesler (2003), who signed with the Vancouver Canucks over the summer, played in his first NHL game last Monday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He posted his first point on an assist vs. Montreal and scored his first NHL goal Saturday at Calgary.
They’ll Be Back
The game vs. Miami marks Ohio State’s last game in Columbus in 2003. The squad returns to Value City Arena Jan. 6 to face Quinnipiac at 7:05 p.m.
A Change
The game time for the Ohio State vs. Michigan State game Friday, Jan. 23 has been moved to 8:05 p.m. The game will be broadcast live by CSTV: College Sports Television as part of its Friday Night Hockey programming.
Pittsburgh Dozen
JB Bittner and Nate Guenin, who hail from the Pittsburgh area, are tied for fifth on the squad with 12 points each. Bittner has 10 goals and two assists and Guenin has 10 helpers and two goals.
So Close
Buckeye senior Scott May has seven points in his last four games, with two points against Michigan (1-1) Colgate (0-2) and Bowling Green (1-1) and a helper vs. Cornell. May now is four points away from the 100th point of his Ohio State career. He has 36 goals, 60 assists and 96 points as a Buckeye, including a career-best 35 last season. Classmate Paul Caponigri became the 48th member of the Ohio State Century Club earlier this season.
Home Away from Home
The Buckeyes are 6-1-0 on the road this season, with their only loss coming at Northern Michigan, 2-1. The squad has outscored its opponents, 29-8, in road games (4.1 to 1.1 goals a game), including two shutouts.
10 x 3
Three Buckeyes are tied for the team lead with 10 goals each. Paul Caponigri, Dave Steckel and JB Bittner all have double-digit goals this season and are tied for third in the league in goal scoring.
On a Hot Streak
Dave Steckel had back-to-back two-goal games to move into a tie for the team scoring lead with 10 tallies on the season. He already has matched the number of goals he had last season.
Shorty Part Two
After not scoring a shorthanded goal in the first 12 games of the season, the Buckeyes tallied while skating a man down in three of the last four games. JB Bittner had a shorthanded goal against Michigan Nov. 15, Paul Caponigri tallied shorthanded vs. Colgate Nov. 21 and Dave Steckel had two shorthanders at Bowling Green Saturday.
A Good Day to Play
The Buckeyes are undefeated on Saturday this season, going 8-0-0, and are 3-5-0 on Friday.
A Team Effort
This season, 20-of-21 Buckeye skaters (as well as goalie Mike Betz) have at least one point. Fifteen have scored at least one goal.
What’s Up Next
After this weekend, the Buckeyes return to the ice in the Everblades College Classic Dec. 27-28 at TECO Arena in Estero, Fla. Ohio State will face Maine at 4:05 p.m. Dec. 27 and will play either Notre Dame or Cornell in the championship or consolation game Dec. 28. The opening-round games, as well as the championship tilt, will be televised live by CSTV: College Sports Television.
