Men’s Hockey: Ohio Hockey Classic, Games in Value City Arena Highlight 2008-09 Schedule – Ohio State Buckeyes
7/31/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
COLUMBUS, Ohio The Ohio State men’s hockey team will play 18 games at Value City Arena, including the fifth-annual Ohio Hockey Classic, as part of its 2008-09 campaign, head coach John Markell announced Thursday. Other highlights of the schedule include games vs. Robert Morris at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh and Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, as well as a non-conference series at Denver.
The Central Collegiate Hockey Association again will use clusters, with three groups of four teams, for scheduling. The teams that make up each cluster will face each other four times (twice at home and twice on the road). Each team will face the eight squads outside its cluster twice. This year, Ohio State is joined by Miami, Michigan and Michigan State in its cluster.
After opening the slate against York in an exhibition game in the OSU Ice Rink Oct. 4, the regular season begins for the Buckeyes with a home-and-home series against Miami, including the home opener Oct. 10 in Value City Arena. Following a game vs. the RedHawks in Oxford the next night (Oct. 11), the Buckeyes will host Lake Superior State in a two-game series Oct. 17-18. The Buckeyes will make a trip to take on Denver Oct. 24-25, the team’s first series on the Pioneers’ home ice since 1983.
Halloween night will feature Ohio State and Michigan beginning a two-game series at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich. (Oct. 31-Nov. 1). The Buckeyes will return home the next weekend to host Michigan State Nov. 7-8. Ohio State and Robert Morris then will meet Nov. 14 in Mellon Arena, the second-consecutive season the teams will play in the Pittsburgh College Hockey Showcase on the Pittsburgh Penguins’ home ice.
The Buckeyes’ next five games will all be in Ohio as they close out the first part of the season. After a two-game series vs. Nebraska-Omaha Nov. 28-29 in Value City Arena, the Buckeyes will head to Cleveland to host Robert Morris in Quicken Loans Arena, home of the NBA’s Cavaliers. A two-game home series vs. Bentley Dec. 12-13 wraps up 2008 action for the Buckeyes.
For the second time, the Ohio Hockey Classic will be held on the Buckeyes’ home ice in Value City Arena. The tournament, now in its fifth year, will feature Ohio State taking on Army and Miami vs. Clarkson in the first round Jan. 2. Championship and consolation games will take place Jan. 3.
The Buckeyes will be on the road for three of four series in January, traveling to Bowling Green Jan. 9-10 and Ferris State Jan. 16-17. After a home series against Western Michigan Jan. 23-24, Ohio State will make the trek to Fairbanks, Alaska, to take on the Alaska Nanooks Jan. 30-31.
February opens with Ohio State hosting Notre Dame, the 2008 NCAA runner-up, Feb. 6-7, followed by a trip to East Lansing for a series with Michigan State Feb. 13-14. Michigan, a 2008 NCAA Frozen Four participant, comes to Value City Arena Feb. 20-21. A home-and-home series with Miami Feb. 27-28 closes out regular-season action.
All 12 CCHA teams qualify for postseason action. In the opening round, the Top 4 teams from the regular season receive byes, with seeds 5-8 playing host to seeds 9-12 in best-of-three series (12 at 5, 11 at 6, 10 at 7, 9 at 8). The four series winners advance to take on the Top 4 seeds in best-of-three series on the home ice of the higher seeds. The four quarterfinal series winners advance to the CCHA Championship at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit to compete for the Mason Cup and the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.
Ohio State season and single-game tickets will go on later this summer. Check OhioStateBuckeyes.com for updates.
