Buckeyes Open CCHA Tournament vs. Northern Michigan in Columbus This Weekend – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/2/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
March 2, 2007
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COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio State men’s hockey team (14-15-5, 12-12-4/7th CCHA) and Northern Michigan (13-21-2, 10-17-1/10th CCHA) will meet in the first round of the 2007 Central Collegiate Hockey Association Tournament this weekend at OSU Ice Rink in Columbus. The best-of-three series begins at 7:05 Friday. Game 2 will be at 7:05 p.m. Saturday and Game 3 (if necessary) is set for 7:05 p.m. Sunday.
The Buckeyes are the No. 7 seed in the tourney, while the Wildcats hold the No. 10 seed.
The Broadcast
WOSU Radio (820 AM/wosu.org) will broadcast the Buckeyes’ games vs. the Wildcats this weekend, with Neil Sika (play-by-play) and former Buckeye John Mowat (analysis) on the call.
All three games will be broadcast in their entirety online at wosu.org. The game Friday will be joined in progress on the radio following the conclusion of the Ohio State women’s basketball game in the Big Ten Tournament that begins at 6 p.m. The game Saturday will be both on radio and online. If there is a game Sunday, it will be online only if the Ohio State women’s basketball team is still playing in the conference tournament.
The Format
All 12 CCHA teams qualify for the league tournament. The Top 4 teams get byes in the first round, while seeds 5-8 host 9-12 in best-of-three series. The Top 4 teams host quarterfinal best-of-three series next weekend, with those four winners advancing to the CCHA Championship at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit March 16-17.
The first-round matchups are: No. 5 Nebraska-Omaha vs. No. 12 Bowling Green, No. 6 Western Michigan vs. No. 11 Alaska, No. 7 Ohio State vs. No. 10 Northern Michigan and No. 8 Lake Superior State vs. No. 9 Ferris State.
Waiting for the first-round series winners are No. 1 Notre Dame, No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Miami and No. 4 Michigan State. The teams are reseeded after each round.
Last Time Out
The Buckeyes split their home series with No. 10-ranked Michigan to wrap up regular-season play. Ohio State lost the first game, 4-3, before winning on Senior Night, 6-5.
The Wildcats split a home series with Miami, with a 4-1 loss in the opener and 4-1 victory in the second game.
A Buckeye Snapshot
Ohio State is 14-15-5 on the year and finished 12-12-4 in the league.
Senior forward Andrew Schembri had five points last weekend to take over the team scoring lead with a career-high 26 points. Senior defenseman Sean Collins and junior forward Tommy Goebel are tied for second with 25 points each. Senior forward Mathieu Beaudoin has a team-best 13 goals, followed by Goebel with 11. Junior defenseman Jason DeSantis has a team-high 20 assists, followed by Collins and Schembri with 17 each. Schembri and Corey Elkins have a team-best four power-play goals and Beaudoin is first with three shorthanded tallies.
Freshman goaltender Joseph Palmer has started 31 games this season and has a 2.99 goals-against-average, along with a 14-13-4 record.
Ohio State in Postseason Play
The Buckeyes are 36-50-4 all-time in CCHA tournament action. Under head coach John Markell, the squad is 21-17 in league tourney play.
The squad was swept on the road at Ferris State in the first round of the tournament last year, with 3-0 and 2-1 losses.
As a Seven
As a No. 7 seed entering the league playoffs, the Buckeyes are 4-7. The last time the team was the No. 7 seed was in 2002, when they went on the road and swept Western Michigan (3-2 OT, 3-1). The team then beat Alaska in the CCHA quarterfinals before losing to Michigan in the semifinals.
Buckeyes at Home in the Postseason
The Buckeyes have an all-time record of 16-3-3 in CCHA tournament games in Columbus. In OSU Ice Rink, the team is 8-2-3 in postseason play. The squad last hosted a playoff series in the arena in 1998, sweeping Lake Superior State, 2-1 and 6-0.
OSU vs. NMU in the Postseason
Ohio State is 2-2-2 vs. Northern Michigan in postseason play. The squads last met in the third-place game of the 2003 CCHA Super Six, with NMU winning 4-1.
The first meetings were in the CCHA semifinals in 1979 at the OSU Ice Rink, with the teams tying, 5-5, and Ohio State winning in four overtimes, 5-4, in the second game of the total-goals series. The teams also met in the championship at Joe Louis Arena in 1981, tying 2-2 and NMU winning, 4-2. In 1983, the Buckeyes beat the Wildcats in the CCHA consolation game, 8-6.
Home Sweet Home
The Buckeyes are playing in their fourth rink in the city of Columbus this season. The squad played 14 games in its home rink, Value City Arena, two games in Nationwide Arena in the Ohio Hockey Classic, one game at the Ohio Expo Center and will play in OSU Ice Rink this weekend.
The Buckeyes have an overall mark of 8-7-3 in Columbus this year but are 7-1-1 in their last nine games in the capital city. The squad was 6-7-2 in VCA, 2-0 at NWA and 0-0-1 at OEC.
In OSU Ice Rink
The Buckeyes will host Northern Michigan in OSU Ice Rink, the squad’s former home, this weekend. The squad last played there in an exhibition game vs. Wilfrid Laurier Sept. 26, 2003 (W, 4-1). The team last played there in an official game Dec. 5, 1998, downing Notre Dame, 4-1.
Buckeyes vs. Wildcats This Season
Ohio State and Northern Michigan were in the same CCHA scheduling cluster this season. The Buckeyes won the regular-season series, 3-1. The squads split the two games in Marquette, Mich., Oct. 27-28, as NMU won the first game, 2-0, and Ohio State rebounded for a 4-2 win in game two. The teams met in Columbus Feb. 9-10, with Ohio State posting a two-game sweep (3-2, 4-1).
OSU vs. NMU – The Series
Following a two-game sweep of Northern Michigan Feb. 9-10, Ohio State took a one-game lead in the series with the Wildcats, 28-27-3.
Overall, the Buckeyes lead the series in the last 10 meetings, 6-4.
In Columbus, Ohio State leads the series with NMU, 18-5-1. The Buckeyes are on a 10-game winning streak vs. the Wildcats in Columbus.
Welcome To Columbus
Since 1997-98, when Northern Michigan rejoined the CCHA, only eight of the 25 meetings between the teams have been in Columbus before this weekend. Sixteen of the games were in Marquette and the teams played a neutral-site game at the 2003 CCHA Super Six in Detroit.
Success vs. The Wildcats
Senior defenseman Sean Collins has a team-best seven assists and eight points vs. the Wildcats. Andrew Schembri and Sam Campbell are first with three goals each vs. NMU.
Markell vs. The Wildcats
Buckeye head coach John Markell, who is in his 12th season at the helm, has a record of 14-9 against Northern Michigan.
A Look At The Wildcats
Northern Michigan ended regular-season play 13-21-2 on the year and was 10-17-1 in conference action.
Junior Mike Santorelli leads the Wildcats and is second in the nation with 28 goals. He has a team-best 44 points and is second with 16 assists. Senior Darin Olver has a team-best 19 assists and is second with 30 points and 11 goals. Senior Zach Tarkir leads all Wildcat defensemen with 17 points, including 11 assists.
In net, junior Bill Zaniboni has played in 33 games and has a 2.50 goals-against average and .910 save percentage, along with a 12-19-2 record.
Walt Kyle, a 1981 graduate of NMU, is in his fifth year at the helm of his alma mater. He has a school and career mark of 100-81-17.
Have a Game
Senior Andrew Schembri tallied a career-high four assists and points, including the game-winning assist, against Michigan last Saturday. The four assists and points tied the Value City Arena record and were a Buckeye single-game high this season. It was his eighth multiple-point game of the campaign. Schembri now has a team-best and career-high 26 points this season and has 95 points as a Buckeye.
DeSantis Honored
Junior Jason DeSantis was named CCHA Defenseman of the Week, the league announced Monday. It is the first such honor for DeSantis in his career and the seventh time a Buckeye has been named conference player of the week this season.
DeSantis, from Oxford, Mich., scored a goal in each game vs. Michigan last weekend, as the teams split the series. Friday, he scored an even-strength goal that put the Buckeyes ahead in the second period. Saturday, his tally cut the UM lead to one in the Buckeye come-from-behind win. DeSantis also blocked three shots in the series. He was part of the Buckeye penalty-kill unit that was 9-for-9 on the weekend, allowing just one 5-on-3 goal. He ended the series +3, including a +2 mark Saturday.
This season, DeSantis has a career-best 20 assists and 24 points. He leads the Buckeyes and all CCHA defensemen in assists and is tied for seventh nationally among defensemen. He is fourth on the OSU squad in points and is tied for third among league blueliners.
DeSantis marked the 100th game of his Buckeye career Saturday vs. Michigan. He has 10 goals and 39 points for the Scarlet and Gray in his career.
The Buckeyes have garnered four defenseman of the week honors this season. Senior Sean Collins (Troy, Mich.) has earned three defenseman of the week nods and rookie goaltender Joseph Palmer (Yorkville, N.Y.) has earned two, while junior forward Domenic Maiani has been named CCHA Offensive Player of the Week.
Clutch
Senior Mathieu Beaudoin scored with 1:30 remaining vs. Michigan last Saturday to break a 5-all tie and lift the Buckeyes to a 6-5 win. It was Beaudoin’s second gamewinning goal this season and the 10th of his career. He had four gamewinners in both 2005 and `06.
Beaudoin scored the 50th goal of his Ohio State career vs. Michigan in the first period last Saturday and now has 51 as a Buckeye.
The last Buckeyes to hit the 50-goal mark for their careers were Dave Steckel (58) and Paul Caponigri (53), who played from 2001-04.
Special Special Teams
The Buckeyes have at least one power-play goal in each of their last 10 games. The squad is 13-for-62 (21 percent) over the stretch.
The Buckeyes have allowed just one power-play goal in their last three games and have allowed three in the last six games combined, stopping 32-of-35 opponent attempts (91.4 percent).
Keeping It Close
The Buckeyes’ last four games, and five of their last six, have been decided by one goal. The squad is 2-2 in the last four and 5-4 overall in one-goal games this season.
The Seniors Lead the Way
Ohio State’s senior class led the team to a 6-5 win over Michigan last Saturday on Senior Night in Value City Arena. The seniors scored five of the Buckeyes’ six goals, including the last four. Mathieu Beaudoin led the Buckeyes with two goals, including the gamewinner with 1:30 remaining in regulation, while classmates Matt Waddell, Kenny Bernard and Tyson Strachan also tallied. Senior Andrew Schembri led the team with four assists.
Watching the Buckeyes
The attendance of 13,296 at the Ohio State – Michigan game last Friday was the largest for a Buckeye hockey game since Jan. 21, 2005 vs. Michigan (14,777). The attendance Saturday was 11,795, the second-highest total this season.
Streaking
Six Buckeyes carry scoring streaks into the weekend.
| Goals | Games | Total Goals |
| DeSantis | 2 | 2 |
| Assists | Games | Total Assists |
| Fritsche | 2 | 3 |
| Points | Games | G-A-P |
| Beaudoin | 4 | 3-3-6 |
| Waddell | 4 | 1-3-4 |
| DeSantis | 3 | 2-1-3 |
| Fritsche | 2 | 0-3-3 |
| Schembri | 2 | 1-4-5 |
| Strachan | 2 | 1-1-2 |
Everybody In
This year, all 20 current Buckeye skaters who have played in more than four games have at least one goal and at least three points. Fourteen Buckeyes have hit the double-digit mark for points, with six topping the 20-point mark.
Up the Charts
Senior Sean Collins has 85 career points to rank ninth in program history among Ohio State defensemen. He is two points behind eighth-place Brian Jenks (1978-81). The all-time leader is Dan Mandich, who had 138 points from 1979-82. Collins’ 85 career points are the most for a Buckeye defenseman since Doug Andress had 89 from 2001-04.
Happy 150th
Buckeye senior defensemen Sean Collins and Matt Waddell each played in the 150th game of their Buckeye career Nov. 10 against Northern Michigan and now have played in 154 games for the Scarlet and Gray. Senior forward Andrew Schembri played in the 150th game of his career last Friday vs. Michigan.
All-time, 30 Buckeyes have played in 150 or more games in their careers. Collins and Waddell have each missed just three games over the last three-plus seasons.
Happy 100th
Junior defenseman Jason DeSantis played in his 100th career game vs. Michigan last Friday. Junior Kyle Hood, with 98 career games played, is next up to hit the century mark.
Noting No. 9
Senior forward Andrew Schembri had five points last weekend and now has 95 in his Buckeye career, including 36 goals and 59 assists.
He has a team-best eight multiple-point games this year and his four points vs. Michigan last Saturday were the team season high and a personal best.
Schembri has a career-high 26 points this season after recording 23 points each of the last three years.
The Century Mark
Junior defenseman Kyle Hood’s gamewinning goal at Nebraska-Omaha Feb. 16 was the 100th goal scored by the Buckeyes this season and came in their 32nd outing. The team had 97 goals in all 39 games last year.
The team now has 110 goals through 34 games this season.
The squad is averaging 3.24 goals a game, the second-highest average over the last nine seasons. It is behind only the 3.38 goals a game posted by the 2004-05 squad over the stretch.
Career Years
Eight Buckeyes have posted career highs in goals, assists and/or points this season:
Kenny Bernard – assists (11), points (17)
Jason DeSantis – assists (20), points (24)
John Dingle – assists (8), points (13)
Corey Elkins – goals (7), assists (5), points (12)
Johann Kroll – assists (7), points (8)
Matt McIlvane – goals (6), points (15)
Zach Pelletier -goals (1), assists (2), points (3)
Andrew Schembri – points (26)
Tyson Strachan – goals (5), assists (10), points (15)
Matt Waddell – points (16)
Lighting the Lamp
Senior Mathieu Beaudoin and junior Tommy Goebel are first and second in goal scoring for the Buckeyes with 13 and 11 tallies, respectively.They are the only Buckeyes with double-digit goals.
It is the second time in his career Beaudoin has had double-digit goals, after he posted 23 tallies in 2004-05.
Goebel has two seasons with double-digit goals, after posting 15 as a freshman at Michigan State in 2003-04.
Save!
Freshman goaltender Joseph Palmer had 31 saves in the Buckeyes’ win over Michigan last Saturday. It was the seventh time in his career he posted 30 or more saves in a game and he is 4-1-2 in those games with 14 goals total allowed.
| Date | Opp. | Svs | GA | WLT |
| 11/4 | vs. ND | 32 | 1 | T 1-1 |
| 12/2 | at MSU | 39 | 1 | W 4-1 |
| 12/9 | at Miami | 30 | 2 | T 2-2 |
| 1/5 | vs. Alaska | 31 | 2 | W 6-2 |
| 1/21 | at Miami | 30 | 2 | L 1-2 |
| 2/10 | vs. NMU | 30 | 1 | W 4-1 |
| 2/24 | vs. UM | 31 | 5 | W 6-5 |
Welcome Back
Ohio State welcomed one of its top players from the last two seasons, Tom Fritsche, back into the lineup at the Ohio Hockey Classic. Playing in his first games since March 4, 2006, the junior forward shook off the rust and had an assist in each of Ohio State’s games. After missing the first 18 games of the season due to an intestinal illness, Fritsche set up a goal of his first shift back, assisting on the opening goal just 1:40 into the game vs. Minnesota Duluth. He followed with an assist in the Buckeyes’ 5-3 win vs. Miami in the championship game.
Fritsche now has 11 points this season, including four goals and seven assists. Three of his goals have come on the power play.
Scoring From The Blueline
Senior captain Sean Collins is second among CCHA defensemen in scoring with 25 points overall this season. Jason DeSantis is tied for third with 24 points. Senior Matt Waddell is tied for 19th with 16 points and classmate Tyson Strachan is tied for 21st with 15.
Nationally, Collins is 14th in defenseman scoring with 0.74 points per game, while DeSantis is 20th at 0.71.
A Helping Hand
Jason DeSantis’ team-leading 20 assists are tied for the lead among all CCHA defensemen (with Darcy Campbell of Alaska) and rank 12th (tied) in the league overall. DeSantis has the seventh-most (tied) assists of any defenseman in the nation.
This season, DeSantis has more than doubled his career assist total. He entered 2006-07 with just nine helpers through his first two seasons (66 games).
DeSantis also has a career-high 24 points. He has nine his first season with the squad and six last year.
Good Signs
The Buckeyes are 11-4-1 when scoring first this season, but just 3-11-4 when the opponent scores first.
Ohio State is undefeated (6-0-1) when scoring four goals this season and is 1-0-1 when recording 41-50 shots on goal.
When senior Sean Collins has positive plus/minus, the Buckeyes are 10-0-3 so far this year. When senior Bryce Anderson has a +1 or better rating, Ohio State is 6-0-2.
Get Shorty
The Buckeyes are tied for fourth in the nation with 11 shorthanded goals this season. Senior Mathieu Beaudoin leads Ohio State with three shorthanded goals this year. In addition to Beaudoin, Bryce Anderson, Kenny Bernard (2), John Dingle, Tommy Goebel, Domenic Maiani (2) and Matt McIlvane all have scored goals while on the penalty kill. Eleven Buckeyes have registered a shorthanded point this season.
The Buckeye record for shorthanded goals in a season is 16, set in 1982.
Shorthanded Skills
Mathieu Beaudoin is tied for eighth in the nation with three shorthanded goals this season, while Kenny Bernard and Domenic Maiani are tied for 22nd with two shorthanded goals each.
Beaudoin (3-1) and Bernard (2-2) each have four shorthanded points to tie for third in the CCHA.
In the Record Books
Mathieu Beaudoin is tied for sixth in the OSU record books for career shorthanded goals with seven and Kenny Bernard is tied for ninth with five. Beaudoin’s three shorthanded goals this season are tied for 10th in program history, set 12 times prior (including Beaudoin in 2004-05 and Bernard in 2005-06).
The Winning Edge
In Ohio State’s 14 victories this season, the team is outscoring its opponents 62-29, an average of 4.4 goals a game to 2.1. The Buckeye power play is 19-of-78 (24.4 percent) while the penalty kill is 78-of-89 (87.6 percent).
75 and Counting
With three points in the Ohio Hockey Classic, senior forward Mathieu Beaudoin surpassed the 75-point milestone. He now has 51 goals and 35 assists for 85 points. Defenseman Sean Collins reached the 75-point mark of his career Dec. 1, and has career totals of 27 goals and 58 assists for 85 points. Classmate Andrew Schembri, who passed the 75-point mark Nov. 9 at Bowling Green, has totals of 36 goals and 59 assists for 95 points.
Junior Tom Fritsche passed the 75-point mark last season and has 86 career points, including 26 goals and 60 assists.
Junior Domenic Maiani, who is out with an injury, is three away from the 75-point mark, with a 25-47-72 line.
Posting Points
Before the Buckeyes were swept at Ferris State Feb. 2-3, the team had recorded at least one point in every CCHA series this season. The series was the first time the Buckeyes were swept on the road since losing two playoff games at Ferris State to close out last season (March 3-4). It was the first time the team was swept on the road in the regular season since Feb. 24-25, 2006 at Northern Michigan.
The squad rebounded to take all four points from Northern Michigan Feb. 9-10 and split the series at Nebraska-Omaha Feb. 16-17 and vs. Michigan Feb. 23-24.
Stopped
Junior forward Tommy Goebel had his point streak stopped at a team season-high 12 games when he was held scoreless Feb. 16 at Nebraska-Omaha. Goebel had 15 points on five goals and 10 assists during the stretch.
Goebel did not score in the series at Nebraska-Omaha, marking the first time he did not score in a two-game set this year.
Catching Up
Three Buckeye seniors from last season have continued their hockey careers. Forward Rod Pelley (Lowell Devils/New Jersey) and defenseman Nate Guenin (Philadelphia Phantoms/Philadelphia) both have spent the majority of the season in the AHL. Guenin made his NHL debut Jan. 18. He played in six games for the Flyers but was sent down to the AHL Feb. 6. Pelley was called up by the Devils Jan. 31 and made his NHL debut Feb. 1 vs. Guenin and the Flyers, but is currently playing in the AHL. Goalie Dave Caruso (Gwinett Gladiators) is in the ECHL.
Two former Buckeyes are on NHL rosters this season. R.J. Umberger skates for the Philadelphia Flyers, while Ryan Kesler plays for the Vancouver Canucks but currently is out because of hip surgery. Eric Meloche was called up to the Flyers Nov. 3-11, and played 13 games for the squad, but was reassigned to the AHL Phantoms Nov. 12. Dave Steckel has played three games for the Washington Capitals but currently is with Hershey of the AHL.
Scott May is on the AHL’s Iowa Stars roster but is currently out with an injury. Doug Andress was recently called up to Springfield in the AHL from the ECHL (Johnstown).
In addition, Daymen Bencharski (Charlotte) and JB Bittner (Augusta) are playing in the ECHL. Paul Caponigri (Kalamazoo), Chris Richards (Youngstown) and Jason Selleke (Flint) are playing in the UHL. Mike McCormick and Hugo Boisvert are in Germany and Andre Signoretti and Jeff Maund are on teams in Italy.
Ohio State Wins Ohio Hockey Classic
Ohio State won the 2006 Ohio Hockey Classic, defeating then-No. 4 Miami, 5-3, in the championship game Dec. 30 at Nationwide Arena. It was the first OHC title for Ohio State in the three-year history of the tournament. All five OSU goals against the RedHawks were scored by seniors as seven of eight members of the class had at least one point in the game, led by forwards Kenny Bernard and Mathieu Beaudoin who each tallied a goal and an assist.
The Buckeyes topped Minnesota Duluth of the WCHA, 4-1, in their first round game Dec. 29. Goaltender Joseph Palmer stopped 19 of 20 shots faced and 11 different OSU players had a point in the victory.
Senior captain Sean Collins was named MVP of the 2006 Ohio Hockey Classic and joined teammates Tom Fritsche, Tommy Goebel and Joseph Palmer on the All-Tournament team. Marty Guerin of Miami and Matt Niskannen of Minnesota Duluth rounded out the team.
Start it Up
Freshman goalie Joseph Palmer started the season-opening game for Ohio State against Lake Superior State Oct. 13, posting 22 saves for his first career shutout and win in OSU’s 1-0 victory.
He was the first Buckeye freshman to start a season opener since Mike Betz was between the pipes against Northern Michigan in the first game of the 2000-01 campaign. Ohio State posted a 5-3 win in that game in Marquette Oct. 13, 2000.
Catching Up
The Ohio State men’s hockey alumni association has a new website – osuhockeyalumni.com. Hockey alums can check in and keep up with all the association happenings.
Leading the Troops
Sean Collins was named Ohio State team captain for the 2006-07 season, while Mathieu Beaudoin and Matt McIlvane were selected alternate captains following a team vote. Collins served as an alternate captain for the Buckeyes last season.
Up Next
The winner of the first-round playoff series between Ohio State and Northern Michigan will advance to the quarterfinal round. The best-of-three series will be March 9-11 at campus sites.
