Men’s Hockey: Ohio State Heads West to Take on No. 2 Denver Pioneers in Two-Game Series – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/22/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Ohio State at No. 2 Denver
Friday, Oct. 24 – 7:37 p.m. MT
Saturday, Oct. 25 – 7:07 p.m. MT
Magness Arena, Columbus, Ohio
Buckeye Bullets
Zac Dalpe was named the CCHA Rookie of the Week after a team-best four points vs. Lake Superior State last weekend. The second-round draft pick of the Carolina Hurricanes is the first Buckeye to earn league rookie honors of the week since Peter Boyd Oct. 15, 2007.
John Albert has a team-best six points this year and has at least one point in each game, with two two-point outings.
Ohio State has one of the youngest teams in the country this season, with 22 freshmen and sophomores and just two juniors and three seniors. In the team’s win last Saturday, just one senior and one junior were active, with junior goalie Joseph Palmer on the bench.
The series at Denver marks the Buckeyes’ first non-conference games of the year. The CCHA has played a league-high four conference games entering the weekend. After the series with the Pioneers, eight of the Buckeyes’ next nine games are CCHA contests.
Gamenight
The Ohio State men’s hockey team (1-2-1, 1-2-1-1 CCHA) travels to take on No. 2 Denver (3-0-0, 2-0-0 WCHA) this weekend. The teams will meet at 7:37 p.m. MT Friday and 7:07 p.m. MT Saturday at Magness Arena in Denver.
Follow the Buckeyes
Live stats from both games can be accessed from the men’s hockey schedule page at OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
The game Friday will be televised by FSN Rocky Mountain (DirecTV Channel 683 and Dish Network Channel 414 with the sports package). Dan Kelly (play-by-play), Charlie Host (game analyst) and Alanna Rizzo (reporter) will call the action.
The game Saturday will be streamed live on the internet at Pioneer Vision. Subscribers to Buckeye Vision through OhioStateBuckeyes.com will have access to the event. Single-game and season pass subscription information is available at both OhioStateBuckeyes.com and DenverPioneers.com.
Last Time Out
The Buckeyes are coming off a series split with Lake Superior State at home. Ohio State lost the opener, 7-3, before rebounding for a come-from-behind 4-2 win in game two.
Denver swept Wisconsin in Magness Arena last weekend, with 6-5 and 7-4 victories.
Buckeyes vs. Pioneers
The Buckeyes trail the series with the Pioneers, 2-4, with the series in Denver tied at two games apiece.
The squads last met in the Lefty McFadden Invitational to open the 2003 season, with DU winning, 5-2. That was the only meeting for the Buckeyes and Pioneers in head coach John Markell’s tenure.
Ohio State last played in Denver Dec. 28, 1994, falling to the Pioneers in the Denver Cup. This will be the first two-game series between the teams since the Buckeyes swept Denver (4-3, 6-5) Dec. 9-10, 1983 in Denver. The teams also met in Denver Nov. 15-17, 1973, when the Pioneers swept the Buckeyes 3-2 and 11-4.
Denver Data
Denver enters the weekend ranked second in the nation, with wins over Notre Dame (5-4) and a series sweep of Wisconsin (6-5, 7-4). This weekend marks Homecoming and Hall of Fame weekend for the Pioneers, who are in the midst of a six-game homestand.
The Pioneers lead the nation in scoring, averaging 6.00 goals a game. The squad has allowed 3.67 goals an outing. DU has converted 19.2 percent of its power-play chances (5-26) and stopped opponents on 83.3 percent (20-24).
Sophomore Tyler Bozak has a team-best eight points and shares the team goal-scoring lead with freshmen Luke Salazar and Patrick Wiercioch with three each. Senior Patrick Mullen has a team-best six assists on the year.
Between the pipes, sophomore Marc Cheverie has played all three games, with a 3.67 goals-against average and .884 save percentage.
George Gwozdecky, a 1978 Wisconsin graduate, is in his 15th year at the helm of the Pioneers. He has a school record of 326-205-41 and a career ledger of 476-329-62 in his 23rd year.
Go West
This marks the second-consecutive season the Buckeyes will face a WCHA squad in a two-game road series. The Buckeyes traveled to Minnesota a year ago, dropping tight 3-1 and 2-1 contests. Ohio State beat WCHA member Wisconsin in the Lefty McFadden Tournament championship a year ago.
Fond Memories
The Pioneers, who have won seven NCAA titles, won the 2005 NCAA Frozen Four in Value City Arena, the Buckeyes’ home ice.
Dalpe Honored
Freshman forward Zac Dalpe, from Paris, Ontario, was named the CCHA Rookie of the Week, the Central Collegiate Hockey Association announced Monday. Dalpe, a second-round draft pick of the Carolina Hurricanes, led the Buckeyes to a series split with Lake Superior State over the weekend, posting a team-best four points in the two games combined.
In the Buckeyes’ come-from-behind win Saturday vs. the Lakers, Dalpe was named the first star of the game after posting a team season-high two goals and three points. He tied the game at 1 in the second period with his first career goal and set up Corey Elkins’ game-tying power-play goal in the third. Dalpe sealed the win with an empty-net goal from center ice with 47 seconds left. Friday against the Lakers, Dalpe had his first career point when he set up Hunter Bishop’s goal 14 seconds into the contest.
Streakers
Sophomore John Albert enters the series at Denver on a team-best four-game (2-4-6) point streak. Hunter Bishop (1-4-5) and Corey Elkins (3-0-3) carry three-game scoring streaks into the series. Chris Reed (0-2-2), Zac Dalpe (2-2-4), Peter Boyd (1-1-2) and Nick Biondo (0-2-2) each have at least one point in each of their last two games.
They’re Over
The 4-2 win over Lake Superior State Saturday broke two streaks for the Buckeyes the squad scored more than three goals and allowed less than three goals for the first time this year.
Here’s Johnny
Sophomore forward John Albert has a team-high six points this season and has at least one point in each of the team’s four games. He had the gamewinner for the team Saturday, the first game-winning goal of his career. He led the squad with 17 assists a year ago.
Albert had two assists in the season opener vs. Miami and a goal and a helper at Miami the next night.
Hunting for Points
Sophomore forward Hunter Bishop has two two-assist games in his first four outings as a Buckeye and is second on the team with five points this season. The BCHL Interior Conference MVP a year ago, he ranked third in the BCHL in scoring in 2007-08. Bishop, who played four games and recorded one assist for North Dakota in 2006-07, tallied his first collegiate goal 14 seconds into the game vs. Lake Superior State last Friday.
Senior Scoring
Senior Corey Elkins has a goal in each of his last three games. He already has passed the two goals he had in 25 games a season ago. Elkins was the only senior in the lineup for the Buckeyes Saturday. It is a career-best point-scoring streak for Elkins.
Chris Chips In
Sophomore defenseman Chris Reed, who still is waiting for his first collegiate goal through 44 games, has an assist in three of four games on the year.
Points from Peter
Sophomore forward and co-captain Peter Boyd has a point in three of four outings this season. He scored power-play goals in the series openers vs. Miami and Lake Superior State and had an assist in the last game out vs. the Lakers.
Comeback Kids
The Buckeyes rallied from a goal down to score three unanswered goals en route to a 4-2 win over Lake Superior State last Saturday. The Buckeyes tied the game at 8:24 on Corey Elkins’ power-play tally and went ahead just 24 seconds later when Peter Boyd scored.
Last season, the squad had seven come-from-behind victories.
A Rare Sighting
Ohio State used three goalies in the loss vs. Lake Superior State last Friday. It was the first time three Buckeye goalies saw time between the pipes in a game since an 8-2 loss at Miami March 11, 1993.
Welcome to College
Freshmen defensemen Matt Bartkowski and Mike Folkes and forwards Ian Boots, Zac Dalpe and Cory Schneider all played in their first collegiate game Oct. 10 vs. the RedHawks. Boots played his first regulation game since his junior season ended with the Brockville Braves in 2007. He sat out last season at Ohio State to concentrate on academics.
Freshman defenseman Sean Duddy saw his first action against Lake Superior State last Saturday.
Rookie goalie Cal Heeter saw his first action as a Buckeye last Friday vs. the Lakers, playing 18:02 and making 10 saves on 11 shots, allowing just one power-play goal late in the third.
Marking the Show
Three former Ohio State men’s hockey players were on opening-day rosters of National Hockey League teams to begin the 2008-09 season. R.J. Umberger (2001-03), who was acquired by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the off season, is the first former Buckeye to play for the hometown Blue Jackets. Dave Steckel (2001-03) is with the Washington Capitals, while Ryan Kesler (2003) is in his fifth season with the Vancouver Canucks.
Umberger has played 228 games in the NHL, all with the Philadelphia Flyers, scoring 49 goals, 67 assists and 116 points. Last season with the Flyers, Umberger had a career-high 37 assists.
Steckel is beginning his fourth season with the Capitals and is coming off his most productive year. In 67 games, Steckel had five goals, seven assists and 12 points. He played in all seven of the Capitals post season games, scoring a goal and recording an assist.
Kesler, who turned pro prior to the 2003-04 season, posted 21 goals and 16 assists in 80 games last season with the Canucks. He has played in 239 NHL games, all with Vancouver, and has 39 goals, 44 assists and 83 points.
Other Pro Players
Seven former Buckeyes currently are playing in the American Hockey League, one step below the NHL. The players currently in the AHL are Rod Pelley (Lowell Devils), Nate Guenin (Philadelphia Phantoms), Dave Caruso (Lowell Devils), Tyson Strachan (Peoria Rivermen), Sean Collins (Hershey Bears), Jason DeSantis (Philadelphia Phantoms) and Tom Fritsche (Lake Erie Monsters).
Buckeyes also are in the ECHL – Matt Beaudoin (Las Vegas Wranglers), Kenny Bernard (Fresno Falcons), Ian Keserich (Johnstown Chiefs), Johann Kroll (South Carolina Stingrays) and Tommy Goebel (Wheeling Nailers). Former Buckeyes Daymen (Bencharski) Rycroft (Rocky Mountain Rage), Paul Caponigri (Amarillo Gorillaz) and Kyle Hood (Arizona Sundogs) are playing in the Central Hockey League.
A number of Buckeyes are continuing their hockey careers in Europe. Hugo Boisvert, Eric Meloche and Matt McIlvane are in the DEL in Germany. Doug Andress and Scott May are playing in 2.Bundesliga in Germany, with Mike McCormick and Andrew Schembri in Germany Obl. Jeff Maund and Jason Selleke are skating in Italy, Jean-Francois Dufour is in France, Matt Waddell is in Sweden and Andre Signoretti and Chris Richards are in Denmark.
A Look Ahead
Next weekend, the Buckeyes will travel to Ann Arbor, Mich., returning to CCHA play against Michigan. The Buckeyes and Wolverines will meet at 7:35 p.m. ET Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 at Yost Ice Arena.
Wearing the C
Senior Zach Pelletier and sophomore Peter Boyd are serving as captains for the Ohio State men’s hockey team in 2008-09.
Pelletier, from China Village, Maine, is in his fifth year with the squad after receiving a redshirt in 2007-08 because of a leg injury. He has played in 50 games as a Buckeye, including 24 in 2006-07. Pelletier earned his bachelor’s degree in criminology in Spring 2008.
Boyd, a native of Cambridge-Narrows, New Brunswick, is just the third sophomore to wear a “C” for the Buckeyes, joining current assistant coach Steve Brent (1994-95) and John Israel (1973-74). Boyd was voted the George Burke Most Valuable Freshman by his teammates last year after finishing the campaign second on the team with 24 points and 10 goals. He played in all 41 games and had a team-best four gamewinning goals, along with four power-play tallies.
New Faces
Three new faces are on the Ohio State hockey staff this year, although two are familiar to Buckeye players and fans alike. Steve Brent, a four-time letterwinner and three-time captain, returns to the bench as an assistant coach again after two years in the business world. Two-time captain JB Bittner, also a four-year letterwinner, now is the team’s video coordinator. Jeff Salajko, who spent three years with the Columbus Chill in the ECHL, is the team’s volunteer goalie coach.
New this Year
Beginning in 2008-09, college hockey will implement a two-referee and four-official system. It was used in some games a year ago, but will be used in all games this season.
The Central Collegiate Hockey Association has added a shootout for league games this season. If a game remains tied after regulation and a 5-minute overtime, a three-player shootout will be held. The team that wins the shootout will earn two points in the league standings, while the losing team receives one. The games will be recorded as ties for NCAA purposes.
A Young Group
The 27-player Ohio State roster is dominated by underclassmen in 2008-09. The squad includes just three seniors and two juniors, who are joined by 13 sophomores and nine freshmen. Last year, at least nine freshmen were regularly in the Ohio State lineup each game.
Pick Me
Seven NHL draft picks are on the Buckeye roster for this season. Freshman forward Zac Dalpe leads the way. He was the 45th overall pick in the second round of the 2008 draft, the highest Buckeye draft pick since Tom Fritsche went 47th in 2005. Rookie forward Taylor Stefishen (Nashville 2008) and defenseman Matt Bartkowski (Florida 2008) join returning NHL draft picks – junior goalie Joseph Palmer (Chicago 2006), sophomore defenseman Shane Sims (New York Islanders 2006) and sophomore forwards John Albert (Atlanta 2007) and C.J. Severyn (Calgary 2007).
Sibling Rivalry
Sophomore Hunter Bishop has joined his sister, Teal, a sophomore on the Buckeye women’s hockey team, at Ohio State this season. The siblings from Fairbanks, Alaska, have not lived and played in the same city in more than six years.
Connections
Buckeye sophomore Peter Boyd and freshman Cory Schneider played together at Northwood Prep for two years (2005-06, 2006-07).
Schneider spent last year skating with fellow Buckeye rookie Zac Dalpe for the Penticton Vees, helping lead the squad to the BCHL title. Assistant coach Steve Brent played for Penticton as well.
Sophomores Patrick Schafer and Corey Toy played together with the Omaha Lancers for two years before coming to Ohio State.
Schafer, sophomore Chris Reed and senior Nick Biondo all played with the Cleveland Barons youth and Junior A teams.
