Saturday, October 7
Erie, Pa.
7:00 PM
Ohio State
at
Mercyhurst University
No. 13/15 Buckeyes Start Season vs. Lakers
10/6/2023 10:14:00 AM | General, Men's Ice Hockey
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 13/15-ranked Ohio State men's hockey team begins its season Saturday with a 7 p.m. game at Mercyhurst in Erie, Pa. The game will be streamed through FloHockey.tv and live stats will be available.
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Buckeye This and That
Home Slate Begins Next Week, Tickets Available Now
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Watch | Live Stats
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Buckeye This and That
- Ohio State is 31-25-4 all-time in the first game of the season. Under Steve Rohlik, the team is 5-4-1 in season openers.
- The Buckeyes also began last season on the road against Mercyhurst. In that series, Ohio State posted 4-2 and 4-1 victories for a sweep.
- Ohio State will host Mercyhurst Dec. 30 in Columbus to close out the season series.
- The Buckeyes have an all-time record of 13-3-1 vs. Mercyhurst, including a 5-0-1 mark in Erie.
- In the preseason USCHO.com poll, Ohio State was 13th, while the Buckeyes were No. 15 in the USA Hockey/The Rink Live preseason rankings.
- Eleven players return from last year's Buckeye squad that reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament, was 21-16-3 on the year and advanced to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals after finishing third in the regular season standings.
- Among the returnees is Stephen Halliday, who was voted Preseason First Team All-Big Ten entering this campaign. The sophomore forward led the Buckeyes with 32 assists and 41 points last season, earning honorable mention all-league accolades.
- Ohio State has added 15 newcomers to the roster for 2023-24. Â The group, with six forwards, seven defensemen and two goalies, includes eight freshmen and seven transfers (two graduate students). The new Buckeyes hail from 11 states in the US and two Canadian provinces, along with a native of Sweden.
- Also new to the Buckeyes are assistant coaches Paul Kirtland and Nate Guenin, who both are Ohio State alums. Kirtland joined the Buckeyes after coaching stints at Sacred Heart, Yale and Minnesota State. After an 11-year professional career that included more than 200 appearances, Guenin is in his first year on a collegiate staff.
- Head coach Steve Rohlik is in his 11th year at the helm and his 15th year at Ohio State, while assistant coach JB Bittner, also an Ohio State alum, started his second stint on the Buckeye staff in 2017-18.
Home Slate Begins Next Week, Tickets Available Now
- Ohio State will begin its home season with two games vs. Lindenwood next weekend in Value City Arena.
- The home opener is Oct. 13, with puck drop at 7 p.m. A free tailgate party will be held on the East Plaza (outside the Northeast Rotunda) starting at 5 p.m. The event will include a live performer, DJ, iceless ice skating, food trucks, beverages for purchase, a caricature artist, facepainting, inflatables and more.
- Youth Night is set for Oct. 14, with the game at 5 p.m. All fans 12 and under can purchase tickets for a discounted price and there will be an Ohio State hockey tape giveaway for the first 200 youth players, as well as a concession discount for all youth wearing their team jersey or apparel. Youth players and coaches are invited to a free pregame chalk talk (free registration). A postgame autograph session with half the Buckeye squad will be available.
- Details on the opening-weekend events and other promotions throughout the season, are HERE.
- Season, mini-plan, group and single game tickets for all regular season home games are on sale now. More information and purchasing options are HERE. Parking is free for all men's hockey games in Value City Arena.
- Eight Ohio State men's hockey games are slated to be televised by Big Ten Network this season.
- The Buckeyes' conference opener at No. 5-ranked Michigan Oct. 20 kicks off the coverage.
- BTN will cover both home games vs. No. 3 Minnesota Dec. 8-9.
- In the new year, Ohio State home games vs. No. 20 Notre Dame Jan. 13, Michigan Feb. 3, Wisconsin Feb. 17 and No. 16 Penn State March 1 will be on BTN, along with a road game at Minnesota Jan. 20. Â
- All Big Ten games not televised by BTN, as well as all Buckeye home games not on BTN, will be carried on B1G+. B1G+ is BTN's home for non-televised events and on-demand archives. Subscription options include a conference hockey pass, which delivers all men's and women's ice hockey on B1G+ for $59.99 per year.
- The Buckeyes' games at Mercyhurst and Bowling Green will be on FloHockey.tv, with the series at Omaha on NCHC.tv.
Players Mentioned
Forward
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