Men’s Hockey: Buckeyes Face RedHawks in Home-and-Home Series to Open Campaign – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/7/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Ohio State vs. Miami
Friday, Oct. 10 – 7:05 p.m.
Value City Arena, Columbus, Ohio
Saturday, Oct. 11 – 7:05 p.m.
Steve Cady Arena, Oxford, Ohio
The Series
2007-08 Series – Miami won 5-0-0
Miami 5, at Ohio State 1 (Oct. 19, 2007)
at Miami 5, Ohio State 1 (Oct. 21, 2007)
Ohio Hockey Classic Championship Game
Miami 3, at Ohio State 2 (Dec. 30, 2007)
Miami 2, at Ohio State 1 (Feb. 26, 2008)
at Miami 4, Ohio State 3 (Feb. 29, 2008)
Series History – Tied 56-56-10
In Columbus – Ohio State leads 34-19-6
In Oxford, Ohio – Miami leads 33-20-4
Neutral Site – Ohio State leads 4-2-0
CCHA Regular Season – Miami leads 49-46-8
Postseason – Miami leads 5-2-0
In Overtime – Tied 4-4-10
Last 10 – Miami leads 7-1-2
Buckeye Bullets
Zach Pelletier and Peter Boyd are serving as co-captains for the Buckeyes this season. It is the first time the Buckeyes will have two players wearing a “C” since Ryan Jestadt and Andre Signoretti in 1999-00.
Ohio State is 25-18-2 all-time in season openers and 32-10-3 in home openers. In Value City Arena, the squad is 5-2-2 in the first game of the year.
The Buckeyes prepared for the regular season with an exhibition win over York last Saturday. Zach Pelletier led the Buckeyes with a hat trick, as Ohio State won, 9-3.
Faceoff
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio State men’s hockey team begins the regular season with a home-and-home series with No. 8 Miami this weekend. The teams will meet at 7:05 p.m. Friday in Value City Arena in Columbus and at 7:05 p.m. Saturday at Steve Cady Arena in Oxford, Ohio.
Follow The Games
Live stats from both games can be accessed from the men’s hockey schedule page at OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
The game Friday will be streamed live via Buckeye Vision on OhioStateBuckeyes.com. Click on the Buckeye Vision link on the OhioStateBuckeyes.com home page for details on how to order annual or monthly subscriptions to the service. In addition, Scarlet and Gray Sports Radio, Ohio State’s student radio station, will broadcast the game over the internet at http://ohiostatesports.net.
The game Saturday is scheduled to be televised on Ohio News Network (ONN).
OPEN IT UP
The Buckeyes are 25-18-2 all-time in season openers, including wins in their last three season lid-lifters. The squad beat Mercyhurst in the first round of the Lefty McFadden Invitational last year, downed Lake Superior State, 1-0, to open 2006-07 and won at Colorado College, 4-2, in 2005-06.
Under head coach John Markell, OSU is 7-5-1 in its season openers.
Home Sweet Home
In Value City Arena, Ohio State is 5-2-2 in its season home openers. All-time, the Buckeyes are 32-10-3 in their home openers.
Ohio State also opened its home (and Central Collegiate Hockey Association) slate vs. Miami last year. The RedHawks won the game, 5-1.
CARRYING ON
Sophomore Kyle Reed carries a four-game scoring streak (3-2-5) into the 2008-09 campaign. Patrick Schafer (1a) and Peter Boyd (1g) also had a point in the Buckeyes’ last game of 2007-08.
Last Time out
The Buckeyes began the year with a 9-3 win over York in an exhibition game in the OSU Ice Rink last Saturday. The Buckeyes trailed, 2-1, in the first period but tied the game with one minute remaining in the stanza and outscored York, 6-1, in the second period for the win.
Against York, senior co-captain Zach Pelletier, playing in his first game in 18 months and usually known for his hard hitting, not his scoring, led the team with a hat trick, including two shorthanded goals. Sophomore defenseman Shane Sims helped the offense with a goal and two assists, while sophomore forwards Todd Rudasill, John Albert and Patrick Schafer each had two assists. Freshman forward Cory Schneider had a two-point game with a goal and an assist.
All three Buckeye goalies played a period against York. The group combined for 19 saves on 22 shots. Rookie Cal Heeter started and made five stops. Sophomore Dustin Carlson and junior Joseph Palmer each had seven saves.
The Buckeye penalty kill stopped York on all eight power-play chances.
Buckeyes vs. RedHawks
The all-time series between Ohio State and Miami is tied, 56-56-10. Ohio State leads 34-19-6 in Columbus and the RedHawks lead, 33-20-4 in Oxford. The Buckeyes are looking to stop a six-game losing and seven-game winless streak vs. the RedHawks. The teams met five times last year, with Miami winning each meeting. Each of the last three meetings was decided by one goal, including a 4-3 Miami win Feb. 29 in Oxford in the last game of the regular season.
Scoring vs. Miami
Sophomore forward Peter Boyd has a team-best four assists and points vs. Miami in his career. Sophomore John Albert and junior Mathieu Picard each have two goals against the RedHawks.
See you Soon
Ohio State and Miami will close out regular-season action with a home-and-home series Feb. 27 (in Oxford) and Feb. 28 (in Columbus). The teams also could meet in the Ohio Hockey Classic championship or consolation game Jan. 3 in Value City Arena. The squads have met in the OHC each of the last three years, with Ohio State winning the 2006 title and Miami winning in 2005 (shootout) and 2007.
We Go Together
The Buckeyes and RedHawks have been joined together as “rivalry partners” by the CCHA for scheduling purposes and always will be in the same scheduling cluster. Teams in the same cluster meet four times during the regular season, while facing the other eight league opponents twice.
This season, they are joined in the cluster by Michigan and Michigan State. In 2003-04, the last time the four were in a cluster together, the teams finished the regular season in the Top 4 spots in the CCHA and all qualified for the NCAA tournament.
RedHawk Review
Miami, who was ranked eighth in the preseason polls, finished 2007-08 second in the CCHA with a 21-6-1 ledger. The squad was 33-8-1 on the year and advanced to the CCHA tournament championship game and the NCAA regional final.
Sophomore Carter Camper is the team’s leading returning scorer after posting 26 assists and 41 points a year ago. Senior Justin Mercier is the top returning goal scorer after lighting the lamp 25 times last season, including seven gamewinning goals. Other top returnees include senior forward Brian Kaufman (12-25-37 in 2008-08), junior forward Jarod Palmer (10-25-35) and senior defenseman Kevin Roeder (1-12-13). Among the key losses for the team are Hobey Baker Award finalists forwards Ryan Jones and Nathan Davis, defensemen Mitch Ganzak and Alec Martinez and goalies Charlie Effinger and Jeff Zatkoff.
Enrico Blasi, a 1993 graduate of Miami, is in his 10th season at the helm of the RedHawks. He enters 2008-09 with a career and school record of 187-138-28.
Skating Together
Buckeye freshman Matt Bartkowski and Miami’s Carter Camper played together with the Lincoln Stars in the USHL in 2006-07.
Ohio State junior goalie Joseph Palmer, sophomores John Albert and C.J. Severyn and freshman Steve West all are U.S. National Team Development Program products, as are RedHawk senior Justin Mercier and sophomore Justin Vaive.
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. Rookies 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).
Schnieder 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.
Up Next
The Buckeyes will host Lake Superior State in a two-game home series next weekend. The teams will meet at 7:05 p.m. Oct. 17 and at 8:05 p.m. Oct. 18 in Value City Arena.
