Men’s Hockey Buckeyes Face Instate Foe Bowling Green for Two Games This Weekend in VCA – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/30/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Ohio State
vs. Bowling Green
Friday, Feb. 1 – 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 2 – 7:05 p.m.
Value City Arena, Columbus, Ohio
The Series
2006-07 Series, Ohio State won 2-0-0
Ohio State 9, at Bowling Green 3 (Nov. 17, 2006)
State 4, at Bowling Green 1 (Nov. 18, 2006)
Series History, Bowling Green leads 92-62-6
In Columbus, Ohio State leads 37-34-3
In Bowling Green, Ohio, BGSU leads 56-22-3
Neutral Site, Ohio State leads 3-2-0
CCHA Regular Season, BGSU leads 67-51-5
Postseason, Bowling Green leads 10-4-0
Overtime, Ohio State leads 9-7-6
Last 10, Ohio State leads 7-2-1
Buckeye Bullets
Senior Tommy Goebel leads the Buckeyes in scoring by 11 points. He has 25 points this season, one shy of the 26 he posted as a junior last season. His career high for points in a campaign is 32, set as a freshman at Michigan State. Goebel already has a career-high 16 goals this season, topping the 15 he had as a Spartan in 2003-04.
Rookie Peter Boyd scored the gamewinning goal for the Buckeyes with 8.9 seconds remaining last Friday at Lake Superior State. He has a team-best three gamewinning goals this season, with all three scored in come-from-behind wins.
Freshman John Albert has a team-best 12 assists this year. At Lake State last weekend, he had two assists and was +2 in each game.
Faceoff
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio State men’s hockey team (8-18-2, 4-13-1 CCHA) returns home for a two-game series with Bowling Green (12-12-0, 9-9-0 CCHA) this weekend. The teams will meet at 7:05 p.m. Friday and Saturday in Value City Arena.
Meet the Buckeyes
Thursday, Buckeye freshman Peter Boyd, from Cambridge-Narrows, New Brunswick, will hold a live online chat at OhioStateBuckeyes.com at 11 a.m. Fans can submit their questions in advance or may participate live through the website. To submit questions on the live events page, click on the blue people’ icon on the right side of the screen.
Postgame Saturday, Buckeye senior forwards and Parma, Ohio, natives Tom Fritsche and Tommy Goebel will participate in an autograph session.
The Broadcast
Both of the Buckeyes’ games this weekend will be broadcast by WOSU Radio (820 AM Columbus/wosu.org) with Neil Sika (play-by-play) and former Buckeye John Mowat (analysis) on the call.
Audio and video of the games will be available live online through Buckeye Vision, the broadband channel on OhioStateBuckeyes.com. Subscription information is available on the website.
Live stats from the games can be accessed from the men’s hockey schedule page at OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
A Buckeye Brief
Overall, the Buckeyes are 8-18-2 and 4-13-1 in Central Collegiate Hockey Association action this season. The team is averaging 2.43 goals a game, while allowing 3.39.
The Buckeyes have converted 15.9 percent of their power-play chances (22-138) and have stopped 80.4 percent of their opponents’ chances (115-143).
Senior Tommy Goebel has a team-best 16 goals and 25 points. Freshman John Albert has a team-high 12 assists. Four Buckeyes have 14 points to tie for second – freshmen Albert (2g, 12a) and Peter Boyd (5g, 9a) and seniors Tom Fritsche (4g, 10a) and Matt McIlvane (4g, 10a). Senior Jason DeSantis leads the blueliners in scoring with 13 points on three goals and 10 assists.
In net, sophomore Joseph Palmer has started 22 games, with a 3.34 goals-against average and .883 save percentage. Freshman Dustin Carlson has started six games and seen action in eight, with a 3.34 GAA and .885 save percentage.
Last Time Out
The Buckeyes split a two-game series at Lake Superior State last weekend.
Friday, freshman Peter Boyd’s power-play goal with 8.9 seconds remaining in regulation lifted the Buckeyes to a 4-3 come-from-behind win over Lake Superior State. The Buckeyes trailed, 3-2, in the third period before scoring two unanswered goals for the road win.
The teams were tied at 1 after the first on goals by Buckeye Mathieu Picard at 7:34 and LSSU’s Carter Lee at 11:52. In the second, Lake State went up 2-1 on Pat Aubry’s goal at 5:51 before Ohio State’s Tommy Goebel tied the score with just 45 seconds remaining in the period.
Zac MacVoy put the Lakers on top, 3-2, at 6:15 of the third but Goebel’s power-play tally knotted the score at 3. Goebel drew a penalty with 2:07 remaining and Boyd scored on the rebound at 19:52 to give Ohio State the 4-3 win.
The Buckeyes outshot the Lakers, 39-28. OSU was 2-for-4 on the power play and stopped LSSU on all three chances.
Saturday, the Lakers posted the last-second win, tallying their fifth power-play goal of the game 46 seconds into overtime to earn the series split with a 6-5 win. The Buckeyes had fought back from two goals down in the third period to tie the game at 5.
LSSU jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first period on two goals by Troy Schwab and a tally from Dan Eves.
Buckeye senior Jason DeSantis put the squad on the board with a power-play goal 46 seconds into the second period, followed by Corey Toy’s first career tally at 5:56 to cut the LSSU lead to one (3-2). The Lakers’ Will Acton then scored on the power play to go ahead by two, but Goebel scored at 11:29 to make the score 4-3. LSSU’s Nathan Perkovich scored the final goal of the second, however, to send the teams into intermission with the Lakers on top, 5-3. The Buckeyes scored twice in the third to tie the game. Kyle Reed tallied at 3:26 and Goebel notched his fourth goal of the weekend at 7:12. The game remained tied until MacVoy’s power-play score 42 seconds into overtime gave the Lakers the win.
The Buckeyes outshot the Lakers, 36-22. Ohio State was 1-for-4 on the power play, while Lake State was 5-for-8.
Goebel Honored by CCHA
Senior forward Tommy Goebel was named the Central Collegiate Hockey Association Offensive Player of the Week, the league announced Monday. Parma, Ohio, native Goebel led the Buckeyes in their series split at Lake Superior State last weekend, posting four goals and five points in the two games combined.
Friday, Goebel scored two goals and was the first star of the game. In the team’s come-from-behind 4-3 win, he tied the game twice. His first goal came with 44 seconds left in the second period and tied the game at 2. He then scored on the power play in the third to knot the score at 3. Goebel also drew the penalty that created the power play the Buckeyes converted for the gamewinner with just eight seconds remaining.
In the Buckeyes’ 6-5 overtime loss Saturday, Goebel scored three points, on two goals and an assist, to match his career high and set a personal best as a Buckeye. He set up Ohio State’s second goal that cut the LSSU lead to 3-2 in the second and scored a goal of his own later in the period to make the score 4-3. In the third, Goebel’s goal tied the game at 5 at the 7:12 mark.
The Series
The Buckeyes trail the all-time series with Bowling Green, 62-92-6, but lead in the last 10 meetings, 7-2-1.
Last season, the teams met in Bowling Green Nov. 17-18, with the Buckeyes posting a two-game sweep. Ohio State won game one, 9-3, behind Corey Elkins’ hat trick, and defeated the Falcons in the series finale, 4-1.
The Series in C-Bus
The Buckeyes lead the all-time series with Bowling Green in Columbus, 37-34-4, including a 7-2-1 mark in the last 10 matchups.
The teams last met in Columbus in the 2005-06 season as members of the same scheduling cluster and played two home-and-home series. The teams tied the first game in Columbus, 2-2, Oct. 21, 2005. The Falcons won game two, 2-0, Jan. 7, 2006.
Buckeyes vs. BGSU
Buckeye senior forward Tom Fritsche has a team-best five assists and seven points against BGSU. Seniors John Dingle and Kyle Hood are first with three goals each. Junior Corey Elkins, who had a hat trick vs. the Falcons last year, also has three goals vs. BGSU.
Falcon File
Bowling Green enters the series with Ohio State 12-12-0 overall and 9-9-0 in CCHA play. The team is coming off two losses to Notre Dame in a home-and-home series. BGSU lost on the road (6-1) in game one and fell at home, 4-1, in game two.
Senior Derek Whitmore leads the Falcons with 19 goals and 24 points. Freshman Jacob Cepis is second with 20 points, on 10 goals and 10 assists. Junior defenseman Kevin Schmidt has a team-best 15 assists and is tied with sophomore James Perkin for third in points with 19 each. Perkin has six goals and 13 assists on the year. In all, 11 Falcons have 10 or more points.
In net, freshman Nick Eno has played in 12 games, with an 8-4-0 ledger, 2.58 goals-against average and .901 save percentage. Junior Jimmy Spratt is 4-8-0, with a 2.95 GAA and .888 svpct.
Bowling Green is scoring and allowing 2.88 goals a game this season. The squad has converted 18.3 percent of its power-play chances and has stopped 81.6 percent of its opponents’ opportunities.
Scott Paluch, a 1991 grad of BGSU, is in his sixth year at the helm of his alma mater.
Former Falcon
Buckeye head coach John Markell is a 1979 graduate of Bowling Green. He was a four-year letterwinner for the Falcons and a three-time first team All-CCHA selection. He was inducted into the Bowling Green Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000.
More Goebel Good Stuff
Tommy Goebel led the team with five points in the series split at Lake Superior State. He had two goals in each game, matching his career best as a Buckeye, first set at Michigan Nov. 30. With three points (2g, 1a) in game two, he tied his career high (first set vs. Lake Superior State Jan. 21, 2005 while at Michigan State) and set a personal Ohio State high.
Goebel’s first goal last Friday was the 100th point of his collegiate career. Goebel now has 104 collegiate points, with 28 goals, 23 assists and 50 points at Ohio State and a 21-32-53 line at Michigan State (2003-04, 04-05).
In the CCHA, Goebel ranks 10th (tied) in points and sixth (tied) in goals in all games and in league-games only, he ranks seventh (tied) in goals and 21st in points. He has a team-high and career-best eight power-play tallies to tie for fifth nationally and fourth in the CCHA.
Clutch
Rookie Peter Boyd’s game-winning goal with 8.9 seconds remaining at Lake State last Friday was his team-best third gamewinner of the year. His goal was his first tally since scoring the overtime winner vs. St. Lawrence Dec. 7. He also had the game-winning score vs. Mercyhurst in the season opener, scoring in the third period of the 2-1 come-from-behind win.
50-Cent
Senior forward Matt McIlvane had an assist Saturday, marking the 50th point of his Buckeye career. Tommy Goebel’s first goal Saturday was his 50th point as a Buckeye.
Three other Buckeyes have hit the 50-point mark. Senior Tom Fritsche has 102 career points. Senior defenseman Jason DeSantis has a 14-39-53 line as a Buckeye, while senior defenseman/forward Kyle Hood has totaled 50 points (14g, 36a) for the Scarlet and Gray.
Two Rolls On
Senior defenseman Jason DeSantis has a point in six of the last eight games, including a goal in the last game at Lake State. He leads the Buckeye blueliners with 13 points, including 10 assists, this year.
1-for-5
Freshman defenseman Chris Reed had an assist in the first game at Lake Superior State to stop a nine-game scoreless streak, dating to Dec. 8 vs. St. Lawrence.
Score!
Freshman defenseman Corey Toy scored his first career goal at Lake Superior State last Saturday. He now has four points this season.
Lighting the Lamp
The Buckeyes scored nine goals in the series at Lake Superior State, marking the most goals the team has scored in a series this season. It is the most since scoring nine vs. Michigan Feb. 23-24, 2006 in Columbus.
Help from 15
Freshman John Albert, who leads the Buckeyes with 12 assists this year, had two assists in each game at Lake Superior State, marking the first multiple-point games of his Buckeye career.
Two for 24
Freshman defenseman Shane Sims assisted on both third-period tallies in the Buckeyes’ comeback win last Friday at Lake Superior State. It was his second two-assist and multiple-point game of the year, matching his performance Dec. 8 vs. St. Lawrence).
Man-Advantage
The Buckeyes were 3-for-8 (37.5 percent) on the power play in the series at Lake Superior State last weekend. Friday, the team scored two power-play goals, marking the fourth time this season, the squad tallied twice on the PP but the first since Nov. 18 vs. Robert Morris.
A Goalie on the Offense
Buckeye sophomore goalie Joseph Palmer had an assist last Saturday, his third helper this season. His three assists this season rank second (tied) in program history, behind the four Mike Bales recorded in 1991.
Ohio State Season Assists by a Goalie
1. Mike Bales (1991) 4
2. Ray Aho (2000) 3
Roger Beedon (1986) 3
Dave Caruso (2005) 3
Todd Fanning (1990) 3
Jeff Maund (1998) 3
Joseph Palmer (2007) 3
Ohio State Career Assists By a Goalie
1. Mike Bales (1990-02) 8
2. Roger Beedon (1986-89) 5
Dave Caruso (2003-06) 5
Todd Fanning (1987-90) 5
5. Mike Betz (2001-04) 4
Bob Krautsak (1983-86) 4
Jeff Maund (1998-99) 4
Shooting Story
The Buckeyes had 39 shots on goal last Friday and put 36 shots on net last Saturday at Lake Superior State. The team high for shots in a game is 48, set against Mercyhurst in the season opener.The 75 shots vs. the Lakers were a Buckeye season-high for a series this season.
No. 21
Freshman forward Kyle Reed had three points in the Buckeyes’ series at Lake State last weekend and now has a 6-6-12 line on the year. He had two points, on a goal and an assist, last Saturday, his second multiple-point game of the season. He had a team season-best (tied) three points in the tie vs. Robert Morris Nov. 16.
Looking Ahead
After the initial signing period, Red Line Report ranked the Buckeyes’ recruiting class for 2008-09 second nationally. Seven future Buckeyes signed NCAA National Letters of Intent to enroll in Ohio State and play for the Buckeyes in November.
Comeback Kids
The Buckeyes’ 4-3 win at Lake Superior State last Friday was their fourth come-from-behind win this season. The squad scored two unanswered goals to come back from a 3-2 deficit for the win.
In the season opener Oct. 12, Ohio State trailed Mercyhurst, 1-0, after the second period but rallied for a 2-1 victory.
Against St. Lawrence Dec. 7, the Buckeyes were down 2-0 after the first and 2-1 after the second before winning in overtime, 3-2.
The Buckeyes came from behind to win for the third time this season in the victory over Harvard Dec. 29. Against the Crimson, the Buckeyes were down 2-1 after the first before pulling out the 4-2 win.
At Alaska in their last game before break Dec. 14, the Buckeyes were down 2-0 vs. the Nanooks midway through the second before tallying the final two goals of the game for a 2-all tie.
Against Alaska Jan. 5, the teams were tied after two periods before Ohio State scored three times in the third for the win.
He’s In the Club
Buckeye senior Tom Fritsche’s assist vs. Harvard Dec. 29 marked the 100th point of his Buckeye career. He had two points vs. Alaska Jan. 5 and now has 102 points as a Buckeye to rank 46th (tied) in program history. Fritsche is the first Buckeye to hit 100 points since Paul Caponigri, Scott May and Dave Steckel all did in 2003-04.
Steady
Six Buckeyes, including three freshmen, have played in all 28 games this season. Seniors Matt McIlvane, Jason DeSantis and John Dingle have appeared in every game, joined by rookies John Albert, Peter Boyd and Sergio Somma.
Chipping In
Twenty-three Buckeyes (every skater who has played this season, along with goalie Joseph Palmer) have at least one point this season, with 18 scoring a goal and 21 having an assist. Sixteen Buckeyes have at least one goal and one assist this year.
All-Star Buckeye
Former Buckeye Mathieu (Matt) Beaudoin (2004-07) was one of 15 rookies selected to play for the American Conference in the ECHL All-Star Game earlier this week. A reserve forward, he scored a goal in the all-star game.
Beaudoin ranks fifth in the league with 49 points, including 26 goals and 23 assists. He is tied for the league scoring lead among rookies.
BTN Broadcast Cancelled
The Buckeyes’ game vs. Northern Michigan Feb. 16 will no longer be televised by the Big Ten Network. The Buckeyes made their only appearance on the Network vs. Michigan State last Friday.
The Young Ones
The Buckeyes have dressed at least 10 freshmen in 13 of the last 16 games. The team has had 11 freshmen play in two games, 10 freshmen play in 12 games, nine rookie skaters play in 10 games and dressed eight freshmen in four other contests.
So far this season, 13 Buckeye freshmen have seen game action, with 12 skaters and one goalie. Each rookie forward and defenseman that has played has at least one point.
Team USA
Buckeye sophomore goalie Joseph Palmer returned to the United States Jan. 6 after playing for the U.S. National Junior Team in the IIHF World Junior Championship. Palmer missed the Buckeyes’ games in the Ohio Hockey Classic and against Alaska while with Team USA.
Palmer saw action in two games for the Red, White and Blue. He played in the team’s last pool-play game and also appeared in the bronze medal game. Palmer played the final two periods vs. Russia in the medal-round game, stopping 16-of-17 shots he faced.
Palmer was the fifth Buckeye but first goalie to play for the U.S. National Junior Team, joining current senior Tom Fritsche (2006) and former Buckeyes Ryan Kesler (2003, ’04), Dave Steckel (2001, ’02) and R.J. Umberger (2001, ’02).
We’re On the Air
Nov. 26 marked the debut of Buckeye Hockey Weekly, head coach John Markell’s weekly radio show, for 2007-08. The show is broadcast on 1460 AM in Columbus and online at 1460thefan.com. The show will run from 8-8:30 p.m. on Mondays for seven-consecutive weeks beginning Jan. 14. More shows may be added depending on the Buckeyes’ postseason schedule.
Finishing Up
Former Buckeye Mike McCormick (1999-02) returned to campus this quarter to complete his undergraduate degree. McCormick, who has been playing in Germany since completing his eligibility at Ohio State, worked with the Student-Athlete Support Services Office (SASSO) and its degree completion program to wrap up his requirements. He took 20 credit hours and worked in SASSO each week to earn his sociology degree. He walked in commencement ceremonies Dec. 9 in St. John Arena.
In the Bigs
R.J. Umberger, a member of the Philadelphia Flyers this season, has played in 47 games and has nine goals and 26 assists for 35 points, ranking third on the team in assists and fourth in points. A Buckeye from 2001-03, he has seen action in 201 career NHL games and has 45 goals, 56 assists and 101 points.
Former Buckeye and current Washington Capital Dave Steckel, who played for the Buckeyes from 2001-04, has played in 60 career NHL games, including 51 this season. He has nine points, including four goals and five assists, this season.
Rod Pelley, a Buckeye from 2003-06, and a member of the New Jersey Devils this season, now has six points, on two goals and four assists, in 50 games this season. He played nine games for the Devils last season.
Ryan Kesler, the fourth former Buckeye currently in the NHL, has 13-9-22 totals in 49 games for the Vancouver Canucks this season. A Buckeye in 2003, he has played in 207 career games in the NHL, with 31 goals, 35 assists and 66 points.
Nate Guenin, who played at Ohio State from 2003-06, has spent time with both the Philadelphia Flyers (NHL) and Phantoms (AHL) this season. He has played in two NHL games this year after playing in nine a season ago.
Former Buckeyes Scott May (Binghamton Senators) and Tyson Strachan (Peoria Rivermen) also are playing in the AHL.
Starting Off Right
Four Buckeyes had points in their first collegiate games – Peter Boyd (goal) and John Albert (assist) vs. Mercyhurst Oct. 12, Patrick Schafer (goal) against Wisconsin Oct. 13 and Todd Rudasill (two goals) vs. Ferris State Nov. 2. They were the first Buckeye freshmen to score points in their first collegiate games since NHL first-round draft picks R.J. Umberger had a goal and two assists and Dave Steckel had two goals at Northern Michigan Oct. 13, 2000.
Leading the Way
Senior Matt McIlvane was selected the team’s captain prior to the season. He wore an “A” for the squad last season.
Seniors Tommy Goebel and Johann Kroll are the alternate captains for the squad this year.
The Buckeye State
Nine Buckeyes hail from the state of Ohio, including the first three Central Ohio products in head coach John Markell’s tenure in Patrick Schafer of Hilliard, Todd Rudasill of Columbus (Powell) and Ryan Markell of Pickerington. Three Buckeyes are from Parma (Tom Fritsche, Nick Biondo, Tommy Goebel), along with John Albert from Concord, John Dingle from Shaker Heights and Chris Reed from Solon.
I Feel a Draft
On the Buckeyes’ 2007-08 roster, six players are NHL draft picks, including seniors Tom Fritsche (Colorado 2005) and Matt McIlvane (Ottawa 2004), sophomore Joseph Palmer (Chicago 2006) and freshmen John Albert (Atlanta 2007), C.J. Severyn (Calgary 2007) and Shane Sims (New York Islanders 2006).
Break it Down
The Ohio State roster for 2007-08 includes nine seniors and 14 freshmen, along with just two juniors and three sophomores. The 14 freshmen mark the biggest rookie class for the Buckeyes since the 1992-93 squad opened the year with 13 freshmen. Head coach John Markell has opened a season with 11 freshmen three times (1996, 2000, 2004).
Up Next
The Buckeyes will hit the road for a two-game series at Nebraska-Omaha next weekend. The teams will meet at 8:05 p.m. ET Feb. 8-9.
