There's no time for fancy pleasantries, or a whimsical look at the season thus far. It's time for war. And the stakes, quite literally, couldn't be higher. We will start there, and move into the remainder of the preview after.
The Stakes
A loss tomorrow almost certainly removes Ohio State from national tournament contention, barring a deep, deep run into the Big Ten tournament. Saturday's car wreck matched my own that day, and it's probably best we forget it as soon as possible. The Wolverines have beaten the Buckeyes readily for years. Matchups don't matter. Personnel doesn't matter. This game is for keeps.
A win puts Ohio State into rarefied air. A regular season title. Most conference wins in school history. Number 1 overall seed. Probably, if we're being honest, an extension for the staff. Lose? They're not going to make it back to Columbus. This is the definition of squeaky bum time.
Attack
Down low, Ryan Cohen (#40) returns as the final member standing of the Wolverines' once vaunted attack unit from 2022-24. Cohen leads the Maize and Blue with 23 assists, and 39 points. He will draw Bobby Van Buren, and it will be a matchup like no other.
Lukas Stanat (#29) has played low most of the season, with a decent 17 goals. Other attackmen have come and gone due to injury. It seems likely that Alex Lobel (#00) will start there, based on the past couple of games. Lobel is smaller, but chipped in 2 goals against Rutgers. This isn't the Wolverines of old, but there's still plenty to be concerned about here.
Midfield
Aidan Mulholland (#27) is a beast for the Wolverines, leading the team with 19 goals. That's a lot less than Ohio State's leaders at attack, but the Buckeyes would kill for a 19-goal scorer in the midfield. Mulholland will work against the Buckeye LSMs, and really stretch the field. The Buckeyes need to keep a stick on him at all times.
Some of the attackmen will likely rotate through the box to help out Mulholland, but it's going to be a steady rotation of depth guys at middie. No one else to really scare the pants off you.
Defense
Through 4 conference games, the Wolverines have allowed a paltry 8.75 goals per game. That's really, really good. That includes just 10 goals against Maryland, in that 3OT thriller. The going will be tough against the Maize and Blue, as they're going to be a challenging group to beat.
Mason Whitney (#11), Pace Billings (#12), and Kees Van Wees (#16) will probably be the starting group. Ohio State's offense, the best in the Big Ten until last weekend, will need to get their shooter the ball to have a prayer.
Hunter Taylor (#52) will be the starting goalie for the Wolverines. Sporting a decent .507 save percentage, Taylor is good. Ohio State has faced better in practice, though last weekend was their toughest opposing goalie this season. And the Buckeyes failed.
Faceoff
This game will be won or lost here. Jack Oldman has fallen off precipitously since early March. The Wolverines aren't any good at faceoffs either. They went just 6-18 last weekend, even though they came out on top. Ohio State HAS to hit 60% to win. It's Senior Day in Ann Arbor. Cold. Cloudy. Just the perfect dreary day. They HAVE to improve. Or the Buckeyes will lose.
Special Teams
The Wolverines currently sit just under 35% on Man Up. That's about average. Not great, but not bad. Just adequate. On Man Down, however, they're at 25%. That's extraordinary. I would hazard a guess that Ohio State might see some zone tomorrow. And I bet it's effective.
Overall
This game is hard to predict. As we know, The Game is never easy. It's never a walkover. And nothing, absolutely nothing, will be handed to the Buckeyes. The only program close to Ohio State's inability to beat the Maize and Blue is Maryland. Conroy and his program have dominated both rivals the past few meetings.
On the other hand, the Wolverines are poor at home. Their losses this season have largely come in Ann Arbor. The faceoff issue is a big one. And, if we are honest, Ohio State is finally better on the offensive end. Will Big Tasty be able to stop enough shots to keep Ohio State in it? Will the defense be better after a massive let down against Maryland? I think the answer is yes. I think The Game is low scoring. Physical. Stressful. And rewarding.
Final Prediction: Ohio State 8, Wolverines 7 (OT).
Game is on BTN at 4 p.m. EDT tomorrow.
Go Bucks!
