Ladies and gentlemen, Buckeye puckheads far and wide, welcome to the 2018 NCAA men’s hockey tournament. Midwest Regional No. 1 seed Ohio State begins its tourney campaign in Allentown, Pennsylvania against No. 4 Princeton on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. Here’s what you need to know ahead of the weekend.
| NCAA Tournament - Midwest Regional | Day | Time | TV | Stream |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 4 Princeton vs. No. 1 Ohio State | SAT | 3:30 p.m. ET | ESPNU | WatchESPN, TSNGo |
| No. 3 Penn State vs. No. 2 Denver | SAT | Abt 7pm ET | ESPNU | WatchESPN, TSNGo |
| Regional semifinal winners | SUN | 6:30 p.m. ET | ESPNU | WatchESPN, TSNGo |
Buckeyes at the Big Dance
OSU is making its second straight NCAA tournament appearance. It is the program’s eighth overall appearance (1998-99, 2003-05, 2009, 2017-18). The Buckeyes advanced to the Frozen Four in 1998. They have been winless in their last six trips, though they have come close to victory on a number of occasions, including 2017’s overtime loss to eventual tournament runner-up Minnesota-Duluth.
The Bucks earned a No. 1 seeding this season. It is the first time in program history Ohio State has achieved that mark, an accomplishment not lost on head coach Steve Rohlik who said that the seeding "means the world to this program," following Sunday's NCAA bracket announcement. "This is about the guys in the room and the guys, the coaches who came before us. We are excited to be here and we are excited about what lies before us."
The Buckeyes enter the NCAA tournament on a pretty solid roll. They had a six-game unbeaten streak snapped by Notre Dame in overtime of the Big Ten championship game. But it was a game they played without Matt Weis. The point-per-game senior did not dress after reportedly suffering an upper-body injury in practice earlier in the week. This is a loss OSU will continue to contend with, and one they must overcome to advance in the tournament.
Tiger Tales
| Team Stats | Princeton | Ohio State |
|---|---|---|
| Records | 19-12-4, 10-10-2 ECAC | 24-9-5, 17-9-2-1 Big Ten |
| Tourney Seeding | Midwest No. 4 / NCAA No. 14 | Midwest No. 1 / NCAA No. 4 |
| Offense (GPG) | 3.69 (third in NCAA) | 3.18 (eleventh in NCAA) |
| Defense (GAPG) | 3.03 (thirty-fifth in NCAA) | 2.11 (fifth in NCAA) |
| Power Play | 28.5% (first in NCAA) | 24.2% (seventh in NCAA) |
| Penalty Kill | 79.8% (thirty-eighth in NCAA) | 89.3% (first in NCAA) |
| Goals Leader | Ryan Kuffner (29) | Mason Jobst (19) |
| Points Leader | Max Veronneau (55) | Tanner Laczynski (43) |
| Top Goaltender | Ryan Ferland (2.88/.914) | Sean Romeo (2.09/.925) |
No. 4 seed Princeton (19-12-4) played its way in as the ECAC tournament champ. The Tigers finished seventh in the conference during the regular season but rolled through the ECAC tourney with consecutive victories over the conference’s top-3 teams, then No. 16 Union, No. 10 Clarkson, and No. 2 Cornell. This is the team’s fourth NCAA tournament appearance and its first since 2009.
Princeton’s offense is highly-touted. The Tigers are the nation’s third-best scoring team and their roster boasts five point-per-game players. These include the NCAA’s No. 2 and No. 4 scorers, Max Verronneau (55 points) and Ryan Kuffner (52 points). As a team, Princeton set a school record this year for total goals scored in a season (129).
But it is the Tigers’ newly improved defense that is most responsible for the team’s late-season surge. Princeton is on a 13-2-1 run and an eight-game unbeaten streak (7-0-1). During that streak, the team has held its opponents to three or fewer goals in each game and outscored its opponents by a combined 36-16 mark.
The recent almighty groove of freshman goalie Ryan Ferland is a big factor in those numbers. Princeton has also been helped by some puck luck. But the bounces tend to go that way when a team is working hard and executing the details of the game well
Crystal Ball Time
The Bucks are nearly as high-scoring as the Tigers. Their production is just spread throughout their lineup rather than concentrated in a talented core. Ferland may not be letting in many clean goals right now, but the Buckeyes have plenty of guys willing to manufacture the dirty ones, starting at the top with team captain Mason Jobst.
Defensively I give the advantage to OSU, however improved Princeton may be. The Buckeyes rate better statistically, and they earned those numbers against tougher conference competition. The Big Ten was on the verge of placing five of its seven teams in NCAA tournament this season. The ECAC was in danger of sending only two of its 12.
The Bucks’ tournament experience shouldn’t be underestimated either. They know what to expect from the bright lights of the big dance. And they know how it feels to make an early exit. They won’t be keen to repeat last year’s results.
This should be an entertaining game. It may give Buckeye fans a scare, especially if special teams become a major factor. Excessive special teams time keeps one of OSU’s biggest assets, its lower-line grit, off the ice.
The Bucks' vaunted penalty kill has also stumbled a bit of late. It is only a combined 3-for-6 over the last three games. And Princeton's scorers are too skilled to serve repeated heaping helpings of time and space. Eventually, they'll feast.
All things considered, though, as long as Ohio State steers clear of the penalty box, I think the equation favors the Buckeyes.
Living Here in Allentown Columbus?
Local fans can assemble at Arena District hockey hangout, R Bar, for a watch party co-hosted by the Scarlet Liners and the First Responder Faceoff. More details can be found on their Facebook event page here.
Midwest Bracket Business
Regional host and No. 3 seed Penn State takes on No. 2 Denver in the other half of the Midwest bracket. This is a rematch of a 2017 quarterfinal which saw the Pioneers eliminate the Nittany Lions, 6-3. This year’s matchup gets underway following Princeton vs. OSU, around 7pm ET.
The winner of that game advances to face the Tigers-Buckeyes winner in the Midwest regional final on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. The Midwest champ then moves on to the Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minnesota, April 5-7.
- The other Big Ten opening-round matchups are No. 3 Northeastern vs. No. 2 Michigan (4:30 p.m. ET Saturday, ESPNews) and No. 4 Michigan Tech vs. No. 1 Notre Dame (3pm ET today, ESPN2).
- See game week interviews with Steve Rohlik, Tanner Laczynski, Matt Miller, Mason Jobst, and Sean Romeo here.
- Big news from Gopherland this week as Don Lucia is out at Minnesota and sophomore defenseman Ryan Lindgren is headed for the pros.
