Buckeyes Close Home Slate vs. Minnesota this Weekend – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
March 5, 2015
OHIO STATE vs No. 15 MINNESOTA
VIDEO: Coach Rohilk on: the PSU series| series with Minnesota| 2015 senior class| the Buckeyes
Date:Friday, March 6 | Time:5 p.m. ET |Venue:Value City Arena |Location:Columbus, Ohio
Live Stats:Gametracker |Radio:1460 AM OhioStateBuckeyes.com | TV:ESPNU |Online/Mobile: WatchESPN
Date:Saturday, March 7 |Time:6p.m. ET |Venue:Value City Arena |Location:Columbus, Ohio
Live Stats:Gametracker |Radio:1460 AMOhioStateBuckeyes.com |TV: ESPNews|Online/Mobile:WatchESPN
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio State men’s hockey team closes out its home schedule with two games vs. No.15 Minnesota this weekend. The Buckeyes (11-17-2, 6-10-0-0 B1G) and Golden Gophers (18-11-3, 9-4-3-0 B1G) will meet at 5 p.m. Friday and 6 p.m. Saturday in Value City Arena in Columbus. Note there are many athletic events on campus this weekend, especially Saturday. Fans should allow for extra travel time to ensure time to park and reach the arena before puck drop.
FollowAlong
- The game Friday will be televised by ESPNU, with the Saturday matchup on ESPNews. The Friday game is also slated to be carried by TSN2. Both games will be available through WatchESPN for computers and mobile devices. John Buccigross and Sean Ritchlin will call the action both nights.
- 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 John Mowat 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.
Postgame Goals Friday, Senior Night Saturday
- Friday, kids eighth grade and under are invited down to the ice postgame to take a shot on the VCA goal. Children can reach ice level using the stairs by section 124 following the conclusion of play. No skates needed – carpets will be laid out on the ice to shoot from.
- Saturday is Senior Night. The eight members of the Class of 2015 – Darik Angeli, Clark Cristofoli, Justin DaSilva, Tanner Fritz, Matt Johnson, Al McLean, Chad Niddery and Nick Oddo – will be recognized pregame.
- During the first intermission Saturday, the parents of the 2014-15 Buckeye hockey squad will be recognized on the ice.
Ticket Talk
- Tickets for all Buckeye hockey home games can be purchased at the arena on game night, from the Ohio State Athletics Ticket Office or a Ticketmaster outlet in person, through Ticketmaster online (ticketmaster.com) or by calling 1-800-GOBUCKS. For more information, call 1-800-GOBUCKS or visit OhioStateBuckeyes.com/tickets.
- For adults, single-game tickets are $15 for Big Ten games, while senior citizen/youth tickets are $10.
- Ohio State students are admitted free to all home games with a valid BuckID.
- For Big Ten games, group tickets are available for $8 each for groups of 10 or more. For information on group tickets, contact the Ohio State Athletic Ticket Sales office at 1-800-GOBUCKS (select option 2) or email AthleticSales@osu.edu to speak with an account executive.
Buckeye Snapshot
- The Buckeyes, 4-2 in their last six games, are 11-17-2 overall and 6-10-0 in the Big Ten. The team is coming off a sweep of Penn State in Columbus last weekend, with back-to-back 5-3 wins.
- Ohio State is averaging 2.80 goals a game and allowing 3.50 goals a contest. The power play is 15-for-103 (.146) and the penalty kill is 67-for-91 (.736). The team averages 10.2 penalty minutes and 30.4 shots a night.
- Senior forward Tanner Fritz leads the squad with 23 points and 13 assists, while junior forward Anthony Greco has a team-best 14 goals. Senior forward Matt Johnson is second with 12 goals, followed by Fritz with 10. Freshmen Matthew Weis and Christian Lampasso are tied for second with 12 assists, while sophomore Nick Schilkey has 11.
- Greco is second on the team with 20 points, followed by Schilkey with 19 and Weis and Johnson with 18 each.
- In goal, sophomore Christian Frey has started and played in 19 games, including 12 of the last 14, posting a 3.26 goals-against average and .907 save percentage. Sophomore Matt Tomkins has played in 13 games (starting 11) and has a 3.56 goals-against average and .870 save percentage. Logan Davis has played limited time in two games and has a 2.75 goals-against average and .846 save percentage.
Last Time Out – Buckeyes Sweep Nittany Lions
- Ohio State posted its first sweep of the season last week, recording two 5-3 wins over Penn State in Value City Arena. The Buckeyes led from the 1:19 mark of the second period Friday, while Saturday the squad rallied from a goal down in the third for the win. The sweep was the first for the Buckeyes since winning two games vs. Penn State Jan. 31-Feb. 1, 2014 in Columbus (5-1, 5-2).
- Game 1 (Ohio State 5, Penn State 3): In the first game between the teams, 11 Buckeyes had at least a point in the win, with freshman Matthew Weis scoring twice and sophomore Nick Schilkey and junior Anthony Greco each posting two assists. Christian Frey made 46 saves in the Buckeye net. Penn State scored just 31 seconds into the contest and Weis tied the game at 14:26. The Buckeyes scored the first two goals of the second period, with Tanner Fritz putting Ohio State in the lead (2-1) with a power play goal at 1:19 and Weis tallying at 12:13 for a 3-1 Buckeye advantage. PSU drew within one with a quick answer at 13:09. In the third period, Buckeye goals 57 seconds apart – at 8:02 and 8:59 from Josh Healey and Luke Stork, respectively – pushed the Buckeye lead to three (5-2). The Nittany Lions scored with the net empty at 14:45 to cut the lead to two. Penn State skated with the net empty for the final 3:00+, including a 6-on-4 advantage for the last 1:26 after a Buckeye penalty, but Ohio State closed out the win. Shots were 49-35 in favor of Penn State in the game. Ohio State was 1-for-3 on the power play and Penn State was 0-for-2.
- Game 2 (Ohio State 5, Penn State 3): Senior captain Tanner Fritz had three points to lead the Buckeyes to a second 5-3 win over the Nittany Lions, one of 10 Buckeyes with at least a point in the game. The Buckeyes trailed the Nittany Lions 3-2 after the second period but outscored PSU 3-0 in the third for the win. Penn State scored the game’s first two goals at 11:45 and 16:32 of the first period. Buckeye senior Justin DaSilva cut the lead in half at 17:15 for a 2-1 PSU advantage after 20 minutes. At 4:23 of the second Ohio State junior Sam Jardine tied the game with a power play goal but Penn State answered at 6:59 to regain the lead. Ohio State scored three times in a 4:17 span in the third period to tie the game and take the lead. Schilkey tied the game at 9:18, Fritz followed at 10:19 to put Ohio State in the lead for the first time and freshman Nicholas Jones tallied at 13:35 for a two-goal advantage. The Buckeyes outshot Penn State, 44-27, in the game including 16-5 in the third period. Ohio State was 1-for-2 on the power play and Penn State did not have a chance with the man advantage. The only three penalties called in the game were in a span of 1:06 in the second period.
Buckeyes vs. Gophers
- Ohio State was swept by Minnesota in Minneapolis Feb. 6-7, with the Gophers posting 4-2 and 6-2 wins.
- Last year, the Buckeyes were 1-3-1-1 vs. Minnesota 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 2-17-1 all-time vs. the Gophers, with the tie last March ending an eight-game losing streak against Minnesota.
- The series dates to 1968 but 14 of the 20 games have been since 1999.
- Among current Buckeyes, senior Tanner Fritz (1g, 3a) and junior Anthony Greco (2g, 2a) lead with four points each vs. Minnesota. Senior Nick Oddo and sophomore Nick Schilkey have each scored twice vs. the Gophers.
Gopher Gossip
- No. 15-ranked Minnesota enters the series 18-11-3 overall and in second place in the Big Ten with a 9-4-3-0 ledger. The squad is coming off a split at home vs. Michigan State, with a 5-3 win and 4-2 loss. Minnesota is 7-2-1 in its last 10 games.
- The Gophers are sixth nationally averaging 3.50 goals a game and allow 2.59 goals a contest. The power play is first in the NCAA at 30.1 percent (37-for-123) and the penalty kill is 88-for-113 (.779). Minnesota averages 10.9 penalty minutes and 33.7 shots on goal a night.
- Travis Boyd leads Minnesota and is eighth in the NCAA with 1.32 points per game, with a 16-17-33 line. Defenseman Mike Reilly is first on the squad with 31 assists and 37 points. Boyd’s 16 goals lead the team, followed by Kyle Rau with 15. Taylor Cammarata is second on the squad with 20 assists. In goal, Adam Wilcox has played in 31 games and has a 2.55 goals-against average and .906 save percentage, with a 17-10-3 ledger.
Ohio State vs. Minnesota Earlier this Season
- Ohio State dropped two road games to Minnesota Feb. 6-7, falling 4-2 in game one and 6-2 in game two in Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis.
- Game One (Minnesota 4, Ohio State 2): The Gophers had a 2-0 advantage after the opening period, with a power play goal at 6:00 and even strength tally at 15:33. The Buckeyes cut the Gopher lead to one (2-1) at 5:09 of the second when junior Anthony Greco tallied, assisted by Tanner Fritz and Sam Jardine. Travis Boyd put Minnesota back up by two with a power play goal at 8:19 and the Gophers added a goal at 11:10, just after a Minnesota power play expired, for a 4-1 advantage through two periods. The only goal of the third period came at 18:10 when Buckeye senior Nick Oddo scored unassisted. Minnesota outshot the Buckeyes, 42-23, in the game, including 20 second period attempts. Buckeye goalie Christian Frey made 38 saves in the Ohio State net. The Gophers were 2-for-4 on the power play in the game, with Ohio State 0-for-2.
- Game Two (Minnesota 6, Ohio State 2): Minnesota scored the first two goals of the game in the opening 7:01, scoring 30 seconds apart at 6:31 and 7:01. At 9:41, a dump-in from Buckeye junior Sam Jardine bounced off the boards and behind the Gopher goalie to make it a 2-1 game after 20 minutes. Travis Boyd scored twice in the second, with goals at 9 seconds and 14:16, to push Minnesota ahead, 4-1. Minnesota added a power play goal 4:00 into the third period for a 5-1 lead. Buckeye freshman Victor Bjorkung tallied on the power play at 12:42 for a 5-2 game and Minnesota scored its third power play goal of the game at 15:01 for the 6-2 score. Minnesota had the advantage in shots, 28-18. Matt Tomkins had 22 saves for the Buckeyes. Ohio State converted 1-of-4 power play chances, with the Gophers 3-for-4.
B1G Banter
- All six Big Ten teams will be in conference action this weekend. In addition to the Buckeyes and Golden Gophers, Wisconsin travels to Michigan State and Penn State hosts Michigan.
- Each league team has played 16 games. Michigan (11-5-0-0) is in first with 33 points and Minnesota is second with a 9-4-3-0-0 mark and 30 points. Michigan State (8-6-2-2) stands third with 28 points, followed by Penn State (8-7-1-0/25 points), Ohio State (6-10-0-0/18 points) and Wisconsin (2-12-2-2/10 points).
- To close its 20-game B1G schedule, Ohio State has a two-game series at home with Minnesota and two games at Wisconsin.
- 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. The top two seeds receive a bye into the semifinals, with seed No. 3 facing No. 6 and Nos. 4 and 5 meeting in the quarterfinals.
- Single-session tickets for the conference tournament are on sale now and can be purchased through Ticketmaster and online at OlympiaEntertainment.com.
Fritz Honored by B1G, Leads Squad in Scoring
- Senior Tanner Fritz was named a Big Ten Star of the Week for the third time in his career Tuesday. The Buckeyes’ captain had a team-best four points in the sweep of Penn State, with two goals and two assists, to earn B1G Third Star of the Week accolades.
- Friday vs. Penn State, Fritz’s power play goal early in the second period gave Ohio State a lead it would not relinquish. Saturday, he scored the eventual gamewinner at 10:19 of the third period in the team’s comeback victory. He had an assist on a power play goal in the second period that tied the game and also had a helper on a third-period tally that put Ohio State up by two.
- Fritz is on a four-game point streak, with four goals (one in each game) and four assists for eight points in the stretch. He now leads the Buckeyes with 13 assists and 23 points this season and ranks third with 10 goals. His 10 goals are one shy of the career-best 11 he had as a sophomore in 2012-13 when he led the CCHA in scoring. He has at least 20 points in each of his last three seasons.
- Fritz’s second-period goal Feb. 20 vs. Michigan was the 100th point of his Buckeye career. He is the 57th Buckeye with 100 or more points for the Scarlet and Gray. He now has 106 points as a Buckeye with 35 goals and 71 assists (ranking 46th all-time) and leads the current squad with 136 career games played.
Have a Series – PSU Edition
- Thirteen Buckeyes had at least one point in Ohio State’s sweep of Penn State last weekend.
- Christian Frey made 46 saves Friday, his third game this season with 45+ stops. He had 53 at Penn State Jan. 9 and made a career-high 60 at Miami Oct. 18. Last season, Frey had 46 saves in a game vs. PSU Jan. 31, 2014.
- Freshman Matthew Weis scored twice Friday, notching his first multiple-goal game as a Buckeye. It was his fourth multiple-point game this season.
- Freshman Luke Stork had a point in each game, with a goal Friday and an assist Saturday. They were his first points since scoring twice at Penn State Jan. 9.
- Defensemen scored three goals for the Buckeyes in the series – sophomore Josh Healey tallied his second goal of the year Friday, while senior Justin DaSilva had his first goal of the year (and first since Dec. 28, 2013 vs. Mercyhurst) Saturday. Junior Sam Jardine tallied his second goal of the campaign, and the third of his career, Saturday. DaSilva also had an assist Friday, his first point since Jan. 2 at Mercyhurst.
- Healey notched two assists Saturday, his second two-assist night of the season and of his career. His goal Friday, which stood as the gamewinner, was his first point since an assist Jan. 2 at Mercyhurst. Two of his three career goals are gamewinning tallies.
- Junior Anthony Greco had three assists in the series, with two in game one. It was his fourth multiple-point game of the year and second with two assists. Sophomore Nick Schilkey had two assists in game one vs. Penn State and then scored a goal in the win Saturday.
Buckeyes of Late
- Ohio State is 4-2 in its last six games after losing six games in a row Jan. 10-Feb. 7.
- Ohio State has won each of its last three Friday games, with wins in Columbus over Wisconsin (2-1) Feb. 13, Michigan (5-3) Feb. 20 and Penn State (5-3) last Friday.
- The Buckeyes have scored five goals in three consecutive home games, all 5-3 victories.
- In the last six games, senior Tanner Fritz leads the squad with four goals and eight points and sophomore Nick Schilkey is second with five points, including three goals.
- In all, 20 of the 21 skaters in the last six games have at least a point.
- As a team, Ohio State has blocked 103 shots in the last six games, led by sophomore Josh Healey with 17. All but three Buckeyes have at least one shot block in the stretch.
For complete notes, bios and statistics, download the game notes PDF above.
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