Buckeyes Hit the Road – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/21/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State men’s hockey team (1-3-0, 0-0-0 CCHA) opens Central Collegiate Hockey Association play when it travels to take on Lake Superior State (3-1-0, 0-0-0 CCHA) in its first road games of the season. The teams will meet at 7:05 p.m. Friday and Saturday in Taffy Abel Arena in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
The weekend is the Lakers’ second annual Pink in the Rink. Saturday, the Lakers will wear pink jerseys and both teams will wear pink laces in their skates. Last year the event raised more than $12,000 that was donated to local women’s health organizations.
A radio broadcast of both games will be available live through Yes-FM 99.5 on www.yesfm.net. A pay-per-view video feed is available on the B2 Network. Go to lssulakers.com for more information or to sign up.
Last Time Out
The Buckeyes split a home series with No. 3-ranked Denver last weekend. Ohio Stat was shut out in the opener, 2-0, before returning the favor with a 4-0 shutout win in the finale. In the win, sophomore goalie Cal Heeter had a career-best 39 saves for his first career shutout. C.J. Severyn and Shane Sims each had a goal and an assist in the win, with Sergio Somma chipping in two assists. Zac Dalpe and Taylor Stefishen added the other goals for Ohio State.
Open it Up
The Buckeyes are 17-16-3 all-time in their first CCHA game of the season. They are 10-34-2 all-time in road openers. Under John Markell, now in his 15th full season, the squad is 8-5-2 in league lid-lifters and 6-8 in the first true road game of the season (not including neutral-site matchups0.
Buckeyes vs. Lakers
Ohio State is 53-69-9 all-time vs. Lake Superior State. After an 0-19-3 stretch for the Buckeyes Nov. 13, 1992-Dec. 13, 1997, Ohio State is 20-6-2 in the last 28 meetings against Lake Superior State (with three losses in OT).
The teams split a series in Columbus last year (Oct. 17-18). The Lakers won the opener, 7-3, before the Buckeyes scored three goals in the third period (with two in 24 seconds) en route to a 4-2 win in the finale.
Lake State leads the series 41-25-4 in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. The teams last met in the Soo Jan. 25-26, 2008, when OSU won 4-3 in the opener on Peter Boyd’s gamewinner with 8.9 seconds remaining and lost game two in overtime, 6-5.
Junior John Albert has a team-best five assists and six points vs. Lake State. Three others – Peter Boyd (2-2), Zac Dalpe (2-2) and Kyle Reed (1-3) – each have four points vs. the Lakers.
Ohio State also opened its CCHA schedule vs. Lake Superior State in 2006-07. In that series in Columbus Ohio State won the first game, 1-0, before falling in overtime in game two, 7-6.
Laker Look
Lake Superior State is 3-1 this season. After a 4-3 loss at Minnesota Duluth to open the year, the squad has won three-consecutive games, with a 3-1 win at Michigan Tech and a home sweep of Canisius (5-4, 3-0) last weekend.
The squad, which averages 3.50 goals a game while allowing 2.25, is 5-for-20 on the power play (.250) and has stopped 15-of-17 opponent chances (.882).
Freshman Domenic Monardo, the reigning CCHA Rookie of the Week, leads the Lakers with four assists and five points. Senior Brad Cooper has a team-best two goals and is one of four Lakers with four points this season. Junior Brian Mahoney-Wilson has started all four games and has a 2.26 goals-against average and .911 save percentage.
On the PK
Ohio State’s penalty kill was 11-for-12 in the series vs. Denver and now has stopped 22-of-24 opponent chances on the year (.917). The squad has two shorthanded goals – John Albert tallied vs. Quinnipiac and Shane Sims scored against Denver. The team ended the 2008-09 campaign with four SHG.
Hit the Road Jack
After opening the season with four-consecutive home games, Ohio State now hits the road for four straight, traveling to Lake Superior State this weekend to open CCHA play. The team will take on Notre Dame in South Bend before returning home for series with Western Michigan and Northern Michigan.
The team will play four-consecutive games away from Columbus one more time this season. The Buckeyes will head to Big Rapids, Mich., for a two-game set at Ferris State Nov. 20-21 and then travel to Grand Forks, N.D., to face North Dakota and Bemidji State in the Subway Holiday Classic Nov. 27-28.
No. 1 Between the Pipes
Sophomore goalie Cal Heeter stopped a career-high 39 shots as the Buckeyes blanked No. 3 Denver last Friday, marking the Buckeyes’ first win of the season. Two of Heeter’s three career wins are vs. the Pioneers, with each coming when Denver was ranked in the Top 3. It was the Buckeyes’ first shutout since Jan. 3 vs. Clarkson and the first of Heeter’s career. In two starts this year, Heeter has a 1.01 goals-against average and .970 save percentage.
Leader of the Pack
Junior defenseman Shane Sims leads the Buckeyes with four points, on two goals (one power play, one shorthanded) and two assists. He has a point in all but one game this year. Last season, Sims led the Buckeye blueliners with 24 points, on seven goals and 17 assists. His shorthanded goal vs. Denver was the second of his career.
Whitewashes
The Buckeyes were shut out 2-0 last Thursday before winning 4-0 last Friday vs. Denver. It was the first time the Buckeyes split a series with each team winning by shutout since Jan. 27-28 vs. Notre Dame when each team won 1-0. In that series, Ohio State won the opener and the Irish won game two.
It’s a Power Play Goal
Sophomore Zac Dalpe scored on the power play in the win vs. Denver last Friday, the Buckeyes’ first power-play tally since a 5-on-3 goal in the season opener. The squad is 2-for-26 this year.
The Newbies
Freshman Devon Krogh had an assist against Denver, as he became the second Buckeye rookie to post a point this season. Alex Carlson scored the first goal for the rookie class against Quinnipiac Oct. 9.
Up Next
The Buckeyes will remain on the road, heading to South Bend, Ind., for a two-game series with Notre Dame. The teams will meet at 7:35 p.m. Oct. 30 and at 5:05 p.m. Oct. 31 in the Joyce Center on the Notre Dame.
