Buckeyes Hit the Road for Series at Minnesota – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Feb. 5, 2015
Ohio State vs. Minnesota
WATCH: Coach Rohlik On B1G Hockey | On Missing Players | On Returning from Break | On Playing on Olympic Ice
Date: Friday, Feb. 6 | Time: 9 p.m. ET | Venue: Mariucci Arena | Location: Minneapolis, Minn.
Live Stats: Gametracker | Radio: 1460 AM OhioStateBuckeyes.com | TV: BTN | Online/Mobile: BTN2Go
Date: Saturday, Feb. 7 | Time: 8 p.m. ET | Venue: Mariucci Arena | Location: Minneapolis, Minn.
Live Stats: Gametracker | Radio: 1460 AM OhioStateBuckeyes.com | TV: FOX Sports North +/SportsTime Ohio | Online/Mobile: BTN2Go
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio State men’s hockey team will head to Minneapolis this weekend for two games vs. Minnesota. The Buckeyes (7-13-2, 2-6-0-0 B1G) and Gophers (12-9-3, 3-2-3–0 B1G) will meet at 9 p.m. ET Friday and 8 p.m. ET Saturday in Mariucci Arena in a Big Ten Conference series.
Follow Along
- The game Friday will be televised by BTN, with Dan Kelly, Ben Clymer and Jamie Hersch on the call.
- The game Saturday will be broadcast by FOX Sports North+ and carried on SportsTime Ohio.
- The broadcast both nights will be available on BTN2Go for smart phones, tablets and computers. Fans who receive BTN through their cable provider have access to games on BTN2Go.
- The Buckeyes’ radio broadcast will be on 1460 AM in Columbus and online on OhioStateBuckeyes.com through Buckeye Vision subscription packages. Herb Howenstine and former Buckeye Chris Olsgard will provide commentary.
- Gametracker live stats for both games can be accessed through OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
- In-game updates will be on Twitter @OhioState_MHKY.
- Audio, video and stats links for all Buckeye games this season are updated prior to each series on the Buckeye hockey gameday page: go.osu.edu/mhkygameday.
Buckeye Snapshot
- The Buckeyes, coming off a bye weekend, are 7-13-2 overall and 2-6-0-0 in the Big Ten this season after two losses at Michigan State (4-1, 2-0) Jan. 23-24 in their last time out.
- Ohio State is averaging 2.68 goals a game and allowing 3.50 goals a contest. The power play is 12-for-81 (.148) and the penalty kill is 53-for-70 (.757).
- Four Buckeyes are tied for the team point lead with 14 each – junior Anthony Greco, seniors Tanner Fritz and Matt Johnson and sophomore Nick Schilkey, with freshman Matthew Weis fifth with 13 points.
- Greco has a team-high 12 goals, followed by Johnson with 10. Lampasso is first on the squad with 10 assists, with Weis and Schilkey tied for second with nine each. Fritz and senior Chad Niddery are tied for fourth with eight each.
- In goal, sophomores Christian Frey and Matt Tomkins have both seen significant time for the Buckeyes. Frey has started and played in 12 games, including both games at Michigan State (and five of the last six outings), posting a 3.32 goals-against average and .908 save percentage with a 3-7-1 ledger. Tomkins has played in 12 games total (starting 10) and has a 3.33 goals-against average and .878 save percentage, along with a 4-6-1 record. Logan Davis has played limited time in two games and has a 2.75 goals-against average and .846 save percentage.
Last Time Out
- Ohio State was swept in a road series for the first time since Jan. 17-18, 2014 at Minnesota, losing twice at Michigan State Jan. 23-24 in Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing, Michigan. The games wrapped up the regular season series between the Buckeyes and Spartans.
- Game One (Michigan State 4, Ohio State 1): The Buckeyes fell to Michigan State, 4-1, in game one. The teams were scoreless after the first period before the Spartans scored twice in the second for a 2-0 lead, with the goals coming at 1:35 and 14:08. The Buckeyes cut the lead in half early in the third on a goal from David Gust but the Spartans responded less than four minutes later with a power play goal and sealed the win with a late tally in the final minute. The Buckeyes outshot the Spartans, 34-31, in the game. MSU won the special teams battle, going 1-for-2 on the power play and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill.
- Game two (Michigan State 2, Ohio State 0): The Spartans posted the first shutout of the season against the Buckeyes, blanking Ohio State 2-0 Jan. 24. The teams were scoreless in the first for the second night in a row before Michigan State opened the scoring at 17:12 of the second period. In the third, two late penalties on the Buckeyes gave the Spartans a 5-on-3 advantage and Brent Darnell scored at 18:49 for a two-goal MSU lead. Michigan State outshot the Buckeyes, 34-22. MSU was 1-for-4 on the power play and 2-for-2 on the penalty kill.
Buckeyes vs. Gophers
- Ohio State was 1-3-1-1 vs. Minnesota last season in the first year as Big Ten foes.
- The Gophers swept a series in Minneapolis Jan. 17-18, with a 1-0 win in an outdoor game and 4-2 victory in Mariucci Arena. In Columbus March 7-8, Minnesota won the opener, 5-1, before the Buckeyes came from a goal down twice to tie the Gophers 2-2 and then won the shootout in game two. The teams then met in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals in Saint Paul, Minn., a 3-1 Buckeye victory.
- Ohio State is 2-15-1 all-time vs. the Gophers, with the tie last March ending an eight-game losing streak against Minnesota. The series dates to 1968 but 12 of the 18 games have been since 1999.
- The Buckeyes and Gophers will close the regular season series March 6-7 in Value City Arena in Columbus.
The Last Meeting
- No. 4 seed Ohio State defeated No. 1-ranked and top seed Minnesota, 3-1, March 21, 2014 in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals in the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn. Ohio State led 1-0 at the end of the first period on a power play goal from Nick Schilkey but the Gophers tied the game at 4:47 of the second with a power play goal of their own. In the third, Buckeye Ryan Dzingel tallied at 9:08, putting Ohio State ahead, 2-1, and Anthony Greco sealed the win with an empty-net goal in the final minute. Buckeye goalie Christian Frey made 30 saves in the contest.
Minnesota Connections
- Four Buckeyes, as well as two Ohio State coaches, are Minnesota natives.
- Sophomore Drew Brevig hails from Lakeville, junior Blake Doerring is from Chanhassen, senior Matt Johnson calls Stillwater home and senior Al McLean is from Duluth.
- Head coach Steve Rohlik is a Saint Paul native, while associate head coach Brett Larson grew up in Duluth. Rohlik played at Hill-Murray High School and served as the head coach at his alma mater before joining the collegiate coaching ranks full time.
- Junior Anthony Greco calls Queens, N.Y., home, but spent time living in Faribault and attended Shattuck St. Mary’s.
Jersey in HHOF Display
- Buckeye alum Paul Tilley had his Ohio State jersey on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame exhibit in Columbus during the NHL All-Star Game Fan Fair in Columbus Jan. 23-25.
- Tilley, a member of the All-Time Buckeye Team selected last year, was a two-time Second Team All-CCHA selection (1977, 80) and earned First Team honors in 1979. He had 212 points for the Buckeyes from 1977-80 and is currently fifth in program history in points.
Fritz a Senior CLASS Award Candidate
- Senior forward and captain Tanner Fritz has been named one of 20 candidates for the 2015 Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.
- The candidate class will be narrowed to 10 finalists later in the season and those names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2015 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four in April.
- Fritz, from Grande Prairie, Alberta, is a sport industry major with a legal foundations minor. He is a three-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete and an Academic All-Big Ten choice. Fritz shares the team scoring lead this season with 14 points (6g, 8a) while playing in all 22 games. He is first among current Buckeyes in career points (97) and career games played (128). He was a 2013 All-CCHA Second Team selection and a 2014-15 Preseason Big Ten Player to Watch.
Gopher Gossip
- Minnesota enters the series with the Buckeyes 12-9-3 overall and 3-2-3-0 in the Big Ten. Last weekend, the Gophers were 1-0-1 at Wisconsin, with a 7-5 victory in game one and 4-4 overtime tie (3-2 shootout loss) in game two, scoring the gametying goal with two seconds left in regulation.
- In earlier B1G play, Minnesota was 1-0-1 at Michigan State Dec. 5-6, lost twice at Michigan Jan. 9-10 and was 1-0-1 at home vs. the Badgers Jan. 16-17.
- The Gophers average 3.42 goals a game to rank 10th nationally and are allowing 2.71 a contest to rank second in the Big Ten in team defense. The power play ranks second in the NCAA and is a Big Ten best 26.3 percent (25-for-95) and the penalty kill is 74-for-93 (.796). The Gophers average 12.6 penalty minutes a game and put 33.5 shots on goal a night.
- Defenseman Mike Reilly leads Minnesota with 22 assists and 26 points, leading NCAA blueliners in points per game, and Connor Reilly has a team-high 11 goals, followed by Travis Boyd with nine. Kyle Rau is second with 24 points, with eight goals and 16 assists. Justin Kloos, with eight goals and 14 assists, and Boyd (9g, 11a) have also crossed the 20-point mark.
- In goal, Adam Wilcox has played in all 24 games and has a 2.67 goals-against average and .901 save percentage.
B1G Banter
- Two Big Ten series are set for this weekend, with the Buckeyes at Minnesota and Wisconsin at Penn State. In addition, Michigan and Michigan State are facing off in an outdoor game at Soldier Field in Chicago Saturday.
- Michigan is 7-2-0 in league play to stand in first place with 21 points, with Penn State (5-2-1-0) and Michigan State (4-3-2-2) tied for second five points back. Minnesota is in fourth with 12 points (3-2-3-0), followed by Ohio State (2-6-0-0) and Wisconsin (0-6-2-2). PSU, MN, OSU and UW each have a game in hand on UM and MSU.
- To close its 20-game B1G schedule, Ohio State has two-game series at home and on the road vs. Minnesota and Wisconsin and a home series vs. Penn State remaining, as well as a home-and-home matchup with Michigan.
- In Big Ten play this year, teams receive three points for a win in regulation or overtime, two points for a shootout win, one point for a shootout loss and no points for a regulation or overtime loss.
- All six teams qualify for the Big Ten Tournament, which will be held March 19-21 at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. The tournament winner receives the league’s automatic berth into the NCAA tournament.
- Single-session tickets for the conference tournament went on sale this week and can be purchased through Ticketmaster and online at OlympiaEntertainment.com.
For complete notes, stats and updated player bios, click the PDF above.
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