Friday, December 8
Columbus, Ohio
6:30 PM
Ohio State
vs
University of Minnesota
Photo by: Ohio State Athletics
Buckeyes Close First Half vs. No. 10/9 Gophers
12/7/2023 9:17:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
The Basics
As a team ...Â
- The Ohio State men's hockey team wraps up the first part of its schedule with two games vs. No. 10/9 Minnesota this weekend. Â
- The teams will meet at 6:30 p.m. Friday and 8 p.m. Saturday in Value City Arena in Columbus.Â
- A buy one ticket, get one free Holideal is available for the games vs. Minnesota, as well as contests vs. Mercyhurst Dec. 30 and Bowling Green Jan. 5, HERE. Parking is free for all men's hockey games in Value City Arena.
- Friday is Country Night in VCA and fans are encouraged to wear jeans, flannel and cowboy boots.
- The Saturday game vs. Minnesota is Pucks 'n Paws Night. For more information on tickets for humans and dogs, click HERE. Each dog in attendance will receive a free Ohio State collapsible dog bowl upon arrival. Â Â Â
- The games will be televised by BTN, with Ben Holden and Pat Micheletti on the call, and on Ohio State Radio, with Neil Sika and John Mowat calling the action. Live stats will be available through OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
- Ohio State is 5-7-3 on the year (0-7-1 0-0-1 0-0-1 B1G) and coming off two losses at No. 6 Wisconsin. Minnesota is 8-5-3 (4-4-2 1-0-0 B1G) and split a road series at No. 17 Penn State last weekend.Â
- Ohio State will enter its December break after the games this weekend. The squad will return to action with three non-conference games, hosting Mercyhurst Dec. 30 before a home-and-home series against Bowling Green Jan. 5-6. The regular season ends with seven straight Big Ten series, with four of the seven at home.Â
- Ohio State was 1-3-0 vs. Minnesota last season. The squads split a series in Columbus in October before the Gophers swept two games at home in February.
- So far this season, 19 Buckeyes have gotten on the scoresheet, including 15 goal scorers.Â
- Stephen Halliday, who led the Buckeyes in assists (32) and points (41) as a freshman last season, has a team-high nine helpers and 12 points so far this year.Â
- Eleven players returned 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.
- Ohio State added 15 newcomers to the roster for 2023-24. 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.Â
- Defenseman Scooter Brickey, a fifth-year senior and captain for the Buckeyes, is leading the squad with five goals this season and is third with 10 points. Brickey had six goals through his first four collegiate seasons combined. Â
- Blueliner and junior transfer Brent Johnson is tied for second on the team with four goals. Â
- Freshman Theo Wallberg, sophomore transfer Damien Carfagna and graduate transfer Mason Klee have also found the back of the net this season, as has sophomore defenseman John Larkin (playing as a forward the game he scored).
- Brickey has a team-best 26 shot blocks, while Carfagna and Johnson are tied for second with 20 each and Wallberg has 17.
- The series between Ohio State and Minnesota dates to 1968 but 54 of the 60 games have been since 1999.
- In Columbus, the Gophers lead 16-6-2 and Minnesota leads in Big Ten regular season games, 28-11-5. In the overall series, the Gophers lead, 44-11-5.
- Last year, Ohio State was 1-3-0 vs. Minnesota. In Columbus Oct. 28-29, 2022, the Buckeyes took game one 6-4 before a 4-2 Gopher victory. Minnesota swept a series on its home ice Feb. 24-25, with 4-0 and 5-2 wins.Â
As a team ...Â
- Ohio State is 11-for-62 (.177) on the power play this season. The squad was 1-for-8 on the power play at Wisconsin, going 1-for-6 in game two.
- Wisconsin scored the first shorthanded goal allowed by the Buckeyes in game two.Â
- This year, seven Buckeyes have scored with the man advantage. Patrick Guzzo has a team-best three goals on the power play. Stephen Halliday has two (both scored in game one vs. Princeton) Â and Scooter Brickey also has two power play scores. Davis Burnside, Theo Wallberg, Brent Johnson and Caden Brown have also converted on the power play.
- The Buckeye penalty kill is 39-for-50 (.780) so far this year. Last weekend, the team was 6-for-8 on the PK, with a 4-for-4 night in game one. The squad has one shorthanded goal, scored by Dalton Messina at Omaha.
- The Scarlet and Gray are averaging 33.53 shots a night, giving up 32.73. The Buckeyes were held to a season-low 22 shots on goal in game two at Wisconsin.Â
- Ohio State is averaging 2.33 goals per game on the year. The squad was shut out for the third time last Friday at Wisconsin, with all three shutouts in Big Ten play. The series vs. the Badgers was the second time this year Ohio State was held to one goal in a two-game set (Nov. 10-11 at Notre Dame).
- Patrick Guzzo has a team-best three power play goals, the first three of his collegiate career. He had three shorthanded goals through his first three seasons.Â
- Freshman goalie Kristoffer Eberly made his collegiate debut in the third period at Wisconsin. He stopped all 10 shots he faced.Â
- Stephen Halliday, the Buckeyes' leading scorer a season ago as a freshman, has a team-best nine assists and 12 points. He had his first career two-goal game in the opener vs. Princeton Nov. 24.Â
- Fifteen Buckeyes have scored at least one goal this season. Among the scorers are freshmen Theo Wallberg, Thomas Weis and Ryan Gordon, as well as sophomore John Larkin who notched his first collegiate tally at Omaha. Transfers Brent Johnson, Jake Dunlap, Mason Klee, Damien Carfagna and Caden Brown have also all found the back of the net.Â
- Davis Burnside is second on the squad with 11 points and tied for second in both goals (4) and assists (7). He has already matched his assist total from last season (40 games).Â
- Wallberg is tied for second on the team in assists (7), while his classmate Max Montes is fourth with six helpers.Â
- Scooter Brickey has a 5-5-10 line through 15 games this season after posting a 6-18-24 mark in his first four collegiate campaigns (99 games). He had a career-high three points in the opener vs. Princeton, scored twice vs. Michigan State Nov. 4 and had two helpers in each game vs. Princeton.Â
- Dalton Messina has a career-high two goals, four assists and six points this year after six points (1g, 5a) in his first four collegiate seasons.
- Four Buckeyes have seen action in more than 100 collegiate games - Riley Hughes (124), Scooter Brickey (114), Patrick Guzzo (112) and Mason Klee (103). Michael Gildon (97) is approaching the 100-games played mark.
- Cam Thiesing, who led the Buckeyes in goals last year with 15, found the back of the net in each game vs. Princeton.Â
- Guzzo and Brickey are serving as the Buckeyes' captains this year, with Matt Cassidy and Thiesing the alternate captains.
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