Buckeye Hockey Notebook – Minnesota Week
11/26/2018 4:36:33 PM | Men's Ice Hockey
Buckeye Hockey This Week
The No. 5-ranked Ohio State men’s hockey team hits the road for a Big Ten series at Minnesota this weekend. The Buckeyes (9-4-1, 4-2-0-0 B1G) and Golden Gophers (4-6-1, 2-2-0-0 B1G) will meet at 8 p.m. ET Friday and 5 p.m. ET Saturday at 3M Arena at Mariucci.
SportsTime Ohio will carry both games, with the broadcast originating from Fox Sports North and also available on BTN2Go. Ohio State radio will have the games on 1460 AM and on the Ohio State Buckeyes mobile app. Links for video, audio and live stats are HERE.
The series closes out the first half of the season for the Buckeyes. The squad will be off until hosting Mercyhurst Dec. 28-29 in Columbus. This is the earliest Ohio State has entered into its December break since finishing with a win against Bowling Green Dec. 1, 1997.
In the Rankings
Ohio State remained at No. 5 in the USCHO and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine rankings this week.
In both rankings, Big Ten teams No. 6 Penn State and No. 8 Notre Dame join Ohio State in the Top 10, with Michigan No. 14. In the USCHO poll, Michigan State, Minnesota and Wisconsin are receiving votes.
Three of the Buckeyes’ four nonconference opponents are ranked by USCHO this week – No. 3 UMass, No. 12 Bowling Green and No. 18 Arizona State. In the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll, the Minutemen and Falcons hold down the same spots, with Arizona State receiving votes.
Ohio State and Providence are the only schools with men’s and women’s teams in the Top 10 this week. The Buckeye women are No. 6, while the Friar men are No. 10 and the women are No. 8.
The Buckeyes remain No. 5? in this week's USCHO and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls.
Ohio State (9-4-1, 4-2-0-0 B1G) travels for a series at Minnesota this weekend.#GoBucks #B1GHockey pic.twitter.com/KtzmsrE33z
— Ohio State Men's Hockey (@OhioStateMHKY) November 26, 2018
Buckeyes and Minnesota
The series between Ohio State and Minnesota dates to 1968 but 30 of the 36 games have been since 1999. The Buckeyes trail the all-time series with Minnesota, 7-27-2, with a 2-15-1 ledger in Minneapolis. In the last 10 games, however, the Gophers have just a one-game edge (5-4-1), and the Buckeyes won the series last year, 2-1-1.
In Columbus last season, Ohio State swept Minnesota, with a 2-1 overtime win Dec. 8 and 4-1 victory in game two. In Minneapolis Feb. 16-17, the Gophers won the opener 2-1 before the teams tied 1-1 in overtime and the Buckeyes prevailed in a shootout in game two.
This is the fourth year in a row the Buckeyes are closing the first half of their schedule vs. the Gophers. In addition to last year’s home sweep, the Buckeyes were 1-1 in Minneapolis Dec. 2-3, 2016 (L 3-5, W 8-3) and lost two games in overtime (2-3, 4-5) Dec. 4-5, 2016.
Seniors Mason Jobst and Sasha Larocque lead the current Buckeyes with 13 games played vs. the Gophers. Jobst has a team-best nine goals and 15 points vs. Minnesota, while junior Tanner Laczynski shares the lead with Jobst with six assists each and is second with 10 points.
Three current Buckeyes call Minnesota home – John Wiitala is from Lakeville and played for Lakeville South, while Miguel Fidler is from Edina and won Minnesota state tournament titles with Edina High School in 2013 and `14. Wyatt Ege hails from Elk River and graduated from Elk River High School.
Buckeye head coach Steve Rohlik is a Saint Paul native and graduate of Hill-Murray High School. Rohlik served as the head coach at his alma mater, as well as spent a year coaching at Stillwater High School, before joining the collegiate coaching ranks full time. As a coach, Rohlik led Hill-Murray to two state tournament appearances, including a runner-up finish in 1993, and he was inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame this year. Dustin Carlson, a Buckeye from 2008-11 who is now the team’s volunteer coach, is a native of Forest Lake, Minn.
Looking Back at Last Week
No. 5 Ohio State and No. 6 Penn State split a Big Ten series in Columbus last weekend.
Friday, the Nittany Lions prevailed, 4-3. Ohio State opened the scoring on a goal by Mason Jobst at 16:34 of the first on the power play. PSU tallied three times in the second period and carried a 3-2 lead into the third. In the second, the Nittany Lions scored at 4:27 and on the power play at 9:51. Less than two minutes later Jobst set up Buckeye Austin Pooley for a shorthanded goal to tie the game at 2, but PSU responded less than a minute after that with a 4-on-4 goal. In the third, Buckeye senior John Wiitala tied the game at 2:32, but Penn State notched the eventual gamewinner on the power play at 8:36. The teams combined for 87 shots, with Ohio State ahead, 44-43.
Saturday, the Buckeyes scored the final four goals in a 5-2 victory. Jobst opened the scoring less than five minutes into the game, however the Nittany Lions scored with less than a second left in the first period and converted on the power play 1:45 into the second for a 2-1 advantage. Buckeye Ronnie Hein tied the game at two with a power play goal at 12:56 of the second. In the third, Dakota Joshua scored the gamewinner at 17:43 and Sasha Larocque and Brendon Kearney both scored shorthanded empty net goals in the final 1:11 for the 5-2 victory. Tommy Nappier had a career-high 38 saves on 40 PSU shots. Ohio State had 33 shots on net.
Look back at last night’s 5-2 victory over the Nittany Lions.
Jobst, Hein, Joshua, Larocque and Kearney all scored for the Buckeyes.#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/w1lTiey1to
— Ohio State Men's Hockey (@OhioStateMHKY) November 25, 2018
Record Breaker
Buckeye senior Sean Romeo had his program record shutout streak end at 204:27 Friday. His streak included a school-record three consecutive shutouts.
His streak passed the 197:06 set by Christian Frey Dec. 18, 2015-Jan. 9, 2016 and the 195:32 posted by sophomore Tommy Nappier over four games Feb. 3-Oct. 20. It is the 28th-longest individual shutout streak in NCAA history.
This season, Romeo shares the NCAA lead with three shutouts. He has a 2.44 goals-against average and .915 save percentage.
Jobst Becomes B1G All-Time Leading Scorer
Senior Mason Jobst’s goal in the first period Saturday was his 87th point in a Big Ten Conference game, setting the league record for career points in conference games only. Jobst has a league-record 41 goals in B1G play, with 46 assists to rank third all-time. He passed Justin Kloos of Minnesota, who had 86 points from 2013-17, for the points record.
Jobst leads the Buckeyes with nine goals this season, tying for fourth nationally and tying for second in the Big Ten. He has a goal in nine of 14 games (the only player in the NCAA with a goal in at least nine games) and shares the NCAA lead with four first goals for his team and five first goals of a game overall. He also has a team-high 13 points.
In his career, Jobst has 61 goals, 80 assists and 141 points, leading current NCAA players in goals and points and tying for first in assists and tying for fifth in points per game (1.10). He is looking to become the first Buckeye with 150 points since Paul Rutherford in 1981. Jobst is currently 22nd in program history in career points. He needs six points to match Hugo Boisvert (1997-99) in 20th place.
Shorty X 3
Ohio State scored three shorthanded goals in the series vs. Penn State.
Friday, Mason Jobst used a between the legs (backwards) pass to set up Austin Pooley for his first goal of the season and first career shorthanded tally. The goal made the NCAA Hockey Top 5 Plays of the Week.
WHAT A GOAL!
Mason Jobst with the setup, Austin Pooley with the finish for the shorthanded score.#SCtop10 #GoBucks @M_Jobst @Pooleybro2 pic.twitter.com/t5BmKMuXcO
— Ohio State Men's Hockey (@OhioStateMHKY) November 24, 2018
Saturday, the Buckeyes scored two shorthanded (empty net) goals. It was the first time since Dec. 2, 2006 at Michigan State Ohio State tallied twice shorthanded. Against the Nittany Lions, and skating 4×6, Sasha Larocque banked the puck off the boards in the Buckeye zone and in for his goal, followed by a tally from Brendon Kearney. Ronnie Hein assisted on both scores. The shorthanded score was the second in Kearney’s career and first since 2017.
Larocque is the seventh Buckeye defenseman to score a shorthanded goal since 2000, with eight shortys from the blueline in that span. Josh Healey tallied in 2017, the first SHG by a blueliner since Shane Sims in 2010 (and 2009). Other Buckeye defensemen with shorthanded goals in the last 20 years include Matt Waddell (2007), Jason DeSantis (2005), Doug Andress (2004) and Scott Titus (2002). The last Buckeye with more than one shorthanded goal in a season was Andre Signoretti who scored two in 1999.
Hein Larocque Off the Glass
Buckeye senior defenseman Sasha Larocque sealed last night’s win with a 4×6 shorthanded tally, his first goal of the season.#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/YyTGTRCGLc
— Ohio State Men's Hockey (@OhioStateMHKY) November 26, 2018
