Buckeyes Close Out First Part of Season vs. Union – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/6/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Dec. 6, 2005
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Faceoff
The Ohio State men’s hockey team (7-6-2, 6-4-1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association) closes out the first part of the season when it hosts Eastern College Athletic Conference Hockey League member Union (4-4, 2-2 ECAC) for two games. The teams will meet at 7:05 p.m. Saturday and 3:05 Sunday in Value City Arena.
The Broadcast
The games will be broadcast by WOSU Radio. Both games can be heard on the Internet at wosu.org, while the Saturday tilt also will be on the air at 820 AM in Columbus. Former Buckeye John Mowat (analysis) and Neil Sika (play-by-play) will be on the call.
The Underground, Ohio State’s student-run radio station, is scheduled to broadcast both games online at www.underground.fm.
Live statistics from the games can be accessed from the men’s hockey schedule page online at ohiostatebuckeyes.com.
The Fun Stuff
At the game Saturday, kids can meet Nickelodeon’s Jimmy Neutron. Sunday, Family Four Packs are available. It’s Kroger Plus Card Day, where fans who show their Kroger cards can receive a game ticket for $4. In addition, animals from the Columbus Zoo will be at the game and fans will have a chance to meet Jack Hanna. A postgame open skate is scheduled, as is a postgame autograph session with Mathieu Beaudoin and Andrew Schembri. Last Time Out
The Buckeyes went 0-1-1 against non-conference opponent Alabama-Huntsville at home last weekend, losing the opener, 4-3, and tying game two, 2-all.
Union is coming off a bye week. In their last action, the Dutchmen swept Rochester Institute of Technology Nov. 25-26, winning on the road 3-2 and posting a shutout at home, 2-0.
A Buckeye Brief
The Buckeyes are 7-6-2 on the year and are 6-4-1 in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. The squad is averaging 2.9 goals a game and ranks 10th in the country in scoring defense, allowing 2.33 goals an outing.
Tom Fritsche leads the Buckeyes with 14 points and nine assists and is tied with Mathieu Beaudoin and Andrew Schembri for the goal-scoring lead with five each. Schembri is second in assists (8) and points (13), followed by Beaudoin in third with 11 points. Domenic Maiani is the final Buckeye with double-digits in points, with a 4-6-10 line. In net, senior Dave Caruso has a 7-5-2 record, with a 1.97 goals-against average and .909 save percentage.
USA! USA!
Sophomore forward Tom Fritsche has been named to the 2006 U.S. National Junior Team, USA Hockey announced Monday. The 22-player team, comprised of the top players under age 20, will compete at the 2006 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship in Vancouver, Kamloops and Kelowna, British Columbia, Dec. 26-Jan. 5, 2006.
Fritsche is the fourth Buckeye to represent the United States at the tournament, joining Ryan Kesler (2003, 04), Dave Steckel (2001, 02) and R.J. Umberger (2001, 02). Fritsche’s brother, Dan, who plays for the Columbus Blue Jackets, competed in the World Junior Championship in 2004 and 2005.
This year, Team USA will compete against Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Latvia, Norway, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland for the title in the World Junior Championship.
Team USA will gather in Seattle, Wash., Dec. 18 before traveling to Victoria, British Columbia Dec. 19. The squad will play two exhibition games in British Columbia prior to the start of the tournament, facing off against Sweden Dec. 21 and Norway Dec. 22. Tournament play gets underway with the U.S. facing Norway Dec. 26.
The OSU – Union Series
Ohio State and Union have met once, a 6-3 Dutchmen win Jan. 3, 1977 in the Union College Tournament in Schenectady, N.Y. In the game, Buckeye goalie Steve Jones made 54 saves on 60 shots, Ed Lisogar had two assists and Jack Lampron had a goal and an assist for two points. Jim Kish and Bob Zannella also scored for Ohio State and Steve Dethy posted an assist.
In the League
The Buckeyes are 25-20-7 all-time vs. current ECACHL teams. Ohio State is 0-2 vs. Brown, 6-7-2 vs. Clarkson, 4-0-2 vs. Colgate, 6-6 vs. Cornell, 0-0-2 vs. Dartmouth, 3-0 vs. Princeton, 1-0 vs. Quinnipiac, 0-1-1 vs. Rensselaer, 4-1 vs. St. Lawrence, 0-1 vs. Union and 2-2 vs. Yale. The Buckeyes have not played Harvard in program history.
A Look at the Dutchmen
Union enters the series with the Buckeyes 9-5-2 on the year and with a 3-3 ledger in the ECAC Hockey League. The Dutchmen, coming off a bye week, are on a four-game unbeaten streak (3-0-1), with a home-and-home sweep of RIT (3-2 A, 2-0 H) Dec. 2-3 and a 1-0-1 mark vs. Wayne State at home Nov. 25-26 (2-2 OT, 4-0).
Union is averaging 3.0 goals a game, while allowing 2.9. The squad has scored on 16.4 percent of its power-play chances (19-116) and has stopped 80.8 of its opponents’ chances (101-125). The Dutchmen average 26.8 penalty minutes a game.
Josh Coyle leads Union with 16 points and is tied with Olivier Bouchard with eight goals each. Scott Seney is first on the team with 10 assists. Bouchard is second in points with 15, followed by T.J. Fox with 13 (6-7), Seney with 12 (20-1) and Lane Caffaro (2-9) and Augie DiMarzo (2-9) with 11 points each. In net, Kris Mayotte has played 15 games, with a 9-4-1 record, 2.52 goals-against average and .914 save percentage.
Nate Leaman, a 1997 graduate of Cortland, is in his second year at the helm of the Dutchmen. He has a career and school record of 36-41-9.
A Commonality
The Buckeyes and Dutchmen have one common opponent this season, as both opened the year on the road against Colorado College. Union faced the Tigers Oct. 7, falling 6-1. The Buckeyes split a two-game series Oct. 14-15 at CC, winning 4-2 and losing, 1-0.
Away from the CCHA
Ohio State now is 1-2-1 in non-conference games this season, with a series split at Colorado College and an 0-1-1 mark vs. Alabama-Huntsville.The Buckeyes are in the midst of a stretch of six consecutive non-conference games.
Wrap it Up
The series vs. the Dutchmen closes out first-half play for the Buckeyes. The squad is 3-6-1 combined over the last five years in its last two-game series before the December break, including an 0-1-1 record at Clarkson last season.
A Buckeye Stater
Union sophomore wing Josh Coyle is a native of Brooklyn, Ohio. He played for the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs of the EJHL, the same team Buckeye sophomore goalie Phil Lauderdale played with before coming to Ohio State. Coyle leads the Dutchmen with 16 points and is tied for the team lead with eight goals in 15 games.
Blueline Business
The four goals scored by Alabama-Huntsville in Ohio State’s 4-3 loss Friday broke a streak of five consecutive games the Buckeyes held their opponents to two goals or less. The OSU defense rebounded, holding the Chargers to two goals in game two of the series. The Buckeyes have held opponents to two goals or less in 10 of 15 games on the year and now are allowing 2.3 goals a game to rank 10th in the country.
Shots and More Shots
Ohio State had at least 50 shots in each game vs. the Chargers, with 55 Friday and 51 Saturday. Friday, the Buckeyes set the Value City Arena record with 55 shots on goal, breaking the mark of 53 set by Ohio State Jan. 17, 2003 vs. Bowling Green. UAH goalie Scott Munroe’s 52 saves Friday set a VCA record, besting the 49 stops Alaska Fairbanks goalie Chris Marvel had Feb. 20, 1999. The Friday game vs. UAH was the first time the Buckeyes hit the 50-shot mark since Jan. 6, 2004 vs. Quinnipiac (50).
With the Man Advantage
The Buckeye power play has scored at least one goal in each of the last five games and in six of the last seven. In the last five games, the squad has converted 10-of-48 chances, a success rate of 20.8 percent. On the year, the squad has converted 14 percent of its opportunities. The Buckeyes had a season-high three power-play goals Friday against the Chargers. The three scores came on 12 power-play chances, tying the Value City Arena record for power-play opportunities in a game.
The three power-play goals the Buckeyes scored Dec. 2 were the most since scoring three against Michigan State Feb. 19 last season. In Value City Arena, it was the most since scoring three ppg in each game vs. Western Michigan Jan. 28-29 of last year.
On the PK
The Buckeye penalty kill also has improved of late, allowing just six power-play tallies in the last seven games on 45 chances, stopping 86.7 percent. On the year, the team has killed 81.9 percent of its opponents’ chances.
Sharing the Load
In the series against Alabama-Huntsville, the Buckeyes’ five goals were scored by four players, while nine Buckeyes had an assist in the series. The OSU squad was led by sophomore forward Domenic Maiani, who had two goals and an assist, including a two-point night Saturday.
Streaker
Sophomore Domenic Maiani is on a four-game scoring streak and a three-game goal-scoring stretch, with 4-3-7 totals. He now ranks fourth on the team with 10 points this season.
It’s Been a While
The series against Alabama-Huntsville marked the first time the Buckeyes did not at least earn a split in a two-game home series since being swept by Michigan State in Value City Arena Jan. 23-24, 2004.
Home Again
This is the first time the Buckeyes have had four games in Value City Arena in the month of December since the 2002-03 season. That year, the Buckeyes swept Miami Dec. 6-7 and Nebraska-Omaha Dec. 13-14.
Gimme a Break
The games this weekend mark Ohio State’s last action until Dec. 29, a stretch of 17 days without a game.
Welcome Back
Senior Dan Knapp, who missed the first part of the season with an injury, played in his first game of the year. It marked his 100th game as a Buckeye.
Shots and More Shots
Ohio State has outshot its opponents in all 14 games this season. The Buckeyes are averaging 36.6 shot a game, their opponents 21.8. OSU has held opponents to 20 or less shots six times and to under 30 in all but one games.
Half a Century – Almost
Junior defenseman Sean Collins is one point away from the 50th point of his Buckeye career. He has 15-34-49 totals in 96 games as a Buckeye.
The End of the Beginning
The series vs. Notre Dame Nov. 25-26 ended conference play for the Buckeyes until a home-and-home series with Bowling Green Jan. 6-7. The squad is 6-4-1 after 11 league games; last year, the Buckeyes were 8-2-1 through their first 11 conference games. The Buckeyes enter this weekend in second place in the CCHA with three league series on tap – Michigan State at Alaska Fairbanks, Nebraska-Omaha at Michigan and Northern Michigan at Ferris State. OSU is one point ahead of Lake Superior State, which has a non-conference series with Bemidji State, one point ahead of the Wolverines and two points ahead of the Mavericks and Bulldogs.
In C-Bus
The series at Notre Dame Nov. 25-26 marked the Buckeyes’ last back-to-back games on the road until a series at Alaska Fairbanks Jan. 20-21.
Where he Ranks
Senior goalie Dave Caruso ranks seventh in the nation in goals-against average this season, allowing 1.97 goals a game. Caruso is Ohio State’s all-time goals-against average leader (2.02) and ranks third in Ohio State history with eight career shutouts. He has 46 wins as a Buckeye to rank sixth in OSU annals.
Earlier this season Caruso had a career-best shutout streak of 167 minutes 16 seconds and posted back-to-back shutouts of Lake Superior State. He was the first Buckeye goalie to post shutouts in two consecutive games since Bill McKenzie in 1972.
On a High
Junior defenseman Tyson Strachan has three goals this season, tying the total he posted in his first two years as a Buckeye. Strachan scored the first goal of the 2005-06 campaign, scoring at Colorado College Oct. 14. His last goal came vs. Alabama-Huntsville Dec. 3.
Three-Point Play
Junior Rod Pelley ended a nine-game scoreless streak with a three-point game at Notre Dame Nov. 26. It was the third three-point game of his career, and his first since Oct. 21, 2004 vs. Miami. Pelley had two assists vs. the Irish, matching his career best set four times (last Feb. 18, 2005 at Michigan State). Pelley scored a goal in the series opener vs. Alabama-Huntsville and added an assist in game two, entering the Union series on a three-game scoring streak.
Leader of the Pack
Sophomore Tom Fritsche leads the Buckeyes in points (14) and assists (9) and is tied for the team lead in goals (5). He led the Buckeyes in assists (34) and points (45) as a rookie last season.
Moving Up the Charts
Senior Nate Guenin is tied with Brian Jenks (1978-81) for eighth place in program history in career penalty minutes with 354. Guenin has led the Buckeyes in penalty minutes in each of the last three years and is second on the team with 41 this year.
A Team Effort
This season, each Buckeye skater that has played in at least four games has at least one point on the year. Fifteen Buckeyes have scored a goal.
Sign on the Dotted Line
Defenseman Kevin Montgomery, from Rochester, N.Y., and goalie Joe Palmer, of Yorkville, N.Y., who both play for the U.S. National Team Development Program, have signed NCAA National Letters of Intent to enroll in Ohio State and begin playing for the Buckeyes in Fall 2006.
In its ranking of the top draft-eligible prospects for the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, an independent scouting service has Palmer rated 24th and Montgomery 31st. Both appear on the NHL Central Scouting Bureau’s Watch List.
Montgomery, 6-foot-2-inches and 188-pounds, is a left-shot defenseman. In 19 games with the U.S. National Under-18 Team this season, he has scored four goals and added six assist for 10 points, along with 46 penalty minutes. He has had three (1-2) points in nine games vs. NCAA opponents.
Palmer, 6-1, 205, has appeared in 18 games for the U.S. National Under-18 Team this season, posting nine wins, six losses, an overtime loss and two ties. He has a 2.56 goals-against average and .907 save percentage. Palmer has two shutouts on the year, including one against Switzerland Nov. 12 in the Four Nations Tournament in Kuortane, Finland, where Team USA finished second. He has played in nine games vs. NCAA opponents, with a 3.67 gaa and .894 svpct. His NCAA appearances include 43 saves in a 3-2 overtime loss to Boston University Oct. 29, followed by a 40-save night in a 1-all tie with Northeastern the next night.
Montgomery and Palmer are the seventh and eighth players to come to Ohio State from the U.S. National Team Development Program. Current Buckeye sophomores Jason DeSantis and Tom Fritsche played for the NTDP, as did former Buckeyes Ryan Kesler, Dave Steckel, Scott Titus and R.J. Umberger.
Montgomery and Palmer will be joined on the Buckeye active roster in 2006-07 by Tommy Goebel (Parma, Ohio), who transferred to Ohio State prior to this season. He has to sit out the 2005-06 campaign to satisfy NCAA transfer rules, but will be eligible for play at the beginning of the 2006-07 season. Goebel played two years for Michigan State, posting 21 goals, 32 assists and 53 points in 76 games.
A Quick Recap
The Buckeyes were 27-11-4 last season and earned an at-large berth into the NCAA tournament for the third consecutive season. The team finished second in the CCHA regular-season standing with a 21-5-2 ledger (its highest finish in over 20 years) and was the runner-up in the CCHA Super Six tournament.
Buckeyes to Watch For
A league-best six Buckeyes were named to the Preseason All-CCHA teams. Senior forward Rod Pelley and senior goalie Dave Caruso were first-team choices, senior defenseman Nate Guenin and sophomore forward Tom Fritsche were named to the second team and junior defenseman Sean Collins and junior forward Mathieu Beaudoin were honorable mention choices.
No other team had more than two players named to the first, second and honorable mention teams combined.
Caruso was a Preseason Second Team All-American by both Inside College Hockey and USCHO.com. Fritsche was an INCH Preseason All-America Third Team choice. Pelley was an honorable mention All-USCHO selection. Guenin was named a Preseason First Team All-American by collegehockeynews.com.
Going Downtown
The Buckeyes will host the second annual Ohio Hockey Classic Dec. 29-30 at Nationwide Arena in downtown Columbus Dec. 29-30. The tournament features Ohio State, Miami, Holy Cross and Rensselaer this year and is set up in a tournament format. The Buckeyes and Crusaders will meet on day one, as will the RedHawks and Engineers. The winners and losers will meet on day two. Last season, Colorado College edged the Buckeyes in a shootout to win the inaugural title.
Tickets are $11 a day for reserved seats and include both games in one day. Tickets may be purchased at the Nationwide Arena ticket office, at all Ticketmaster Ticket Centers, online at ticketmaster.com or by phone at 614-431-4600. In addition, tickets also are available at the Blue Jackets Zones at the Chiller Dublin, Chiller Easton and Chiller North.
