Dobeš Selected B1G co-Freshman and Goalie of the Year
3/15/2022 12:41:59 PM | Men's Ice Hockey
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Jakub Dobeš of the Ohio State men’s hockey team is both the Big Ten Goaltender of the Year and the co-Freshman of the Year, the conference announced Tuesday. Dobeš also was named First Team All-Big Ten, along with Buckeye rookie forward Georgii Merkulov. Ohio State freshman defenseman Mason Lohrei was an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten choice. The trio of Dobeš, Lohrei and Merkulov make up half of the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.
The Big Ten awards and all-conference teams are selected by the league coaches and a media voting panel. Dobeš had also been a finalist for the league’s player of the year award, with Lohrei a finalist for B1G Defensive Player of the Year and Steve Rohlik a coach of the year finalist.
Dobeš is the first Buckeye to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and the second B1G Goaltender of the Year honoree from Ohio State, joining 2019 winner Tommy Nappier. He is the second freshman to win the league’s goalie of the year honor, after Minnesota’s Eric Schierhorn in 2017. Dobeš shares the B1G Freshman of the Year award with Michigan defenseman Luke Hughes; they are the first non-forwards to win the league’s rookie of the year award. Three Buckeyes earned the CCHA Rookie of the Year honor – Paul Pooley in 1981, Brian Loney in 1992 and R.J. Umberger in 2001. Mike Betz (2003) and Brady Hjelle (2013) received the CCHA Goaltender of the Year award.
Merkulov is the fourth Buckeye forward to earn a spot on the all-conference first team and Dobeš is the second Ohio State goalie to earn a first team nod, with the duo the first Buckeye freshmen to be First Team All-B1G. Ohio State now has 10 B1G All-Freshman Team honorees; Dobeš is the third goalie to earn a spot and Lohrei is the second defenseman, with Merkulov the fifth forward. Dobeš and Merkulov were unanimous selections to the all-freshman team.
Dobeš, from Ostrava, Czech Republic, and a Montreal Canadians draft pick, has played in 35 games this season, starting 34, and is 21-11-2, with a 2.26 goals-against average and .934 save percentage. A Mike Richter Award semifinalist, his save percentage ranks third nationally and first in the Big Ten and he is tied for sixth in the NCAA in goalie wins with the fifth-most for a Buckeye in a single season. His 1,086 saves lead the NCAA and are second all-time for a Buckeye, and he shares the Big Ten lead with three shutouts on the year. Dobeš was a four-time Big Ten Star of the Week, the national rookie of the month in October and the co-national goaltender of the month in January.
Merkulov, from Ryazan, Russia, has a Big Ten best 20 goals this season, leading NCAA freshmen and tying for eighth overall in the nation, and paces the Buckeyes with 34 points. He is first in the NCAA with seven gamewinning goals on the year, tied for the third-most in a single season by a Buckeye. His .56 goals per game average is 10th nationally and second in the league and his .94 points per game is fifth among Big Ten skaters. He has recorded just the 11th 20-goal season for a Buckeye since 1999-00 and his goals-per-game average is fourth in that span. He had a point in 24 of 36 outings, with nine multiple-point games, including four two-goal nights. Merkulov was the runner-up for national player of the month in December and earned Big Ten Star of the Week accolades in November.
Lohrei, a Boston Bruins draft pick from Madison, Wis., leads the Buckeyes with 25 assists and is second with 29 points while playing in 31 games, missing the last five because of injury. He is ninth in the NCAA and second in the Big Ten in assists per game (.81), ranking third nationally among all defensemen and first among all NCAA rookie skaters. His 25 assists rank 10th in Ohio State history for a single season by a defenseman and are tied for eighth by a Buckeye freshman, while his .81 assists per game are tied for the second-best by a Buckeye since 2000. It is the most assists by a Buckeye defenseman since Doug Andress had 27 in 2004. His 29 points are third among freshmen defensemen nationally and 10th among all blueliners. Lohrei, a two-time Big Ten Star of the Week, is +16 on the year and has blocked 41 shots.
Grant Gabriele, a fifth-year senior, was recognized with the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award for Ohio State. A fifth-year defenseman from Brighton, Mich., he has played in 37 games this year, with 20 points on five goals and 20 assists, along with a +12 mark and 49 shot blocks and just two penalties. He has skated in 124 games in the Scarlet and Gray, with 12 goals, 37 assists and 50 points, along with 152 shot blocks.
The No. 16-ranked Buckeyes, 22-13-2 on the year, await a possible NCAA bid. The 16-team field will be announced at 6:30 p.m. Sunday on ESPNU.
