Happy Friday and a merry game day to you, puck fans. This week is a bye for the women’s hockey Bucks, but it brings a titanic showdown for the Buckeye men. No. 5 Ohio State hosts No. 6 Penn State in a top-10, Big Ten battle between the nation’s highest-flying offense and one of its stingiest defenses.
Buckeye Men: Hosting No. 6 Penn State
| Game Info | Friday | Saturday |
|---|---|---|
| Opening Faceoff | 5pm ET | 8pm ET |
| Television | None | None |
| Local Radio | 1460 AM | 1460 AM |
| Streaming Video | BTN Plus ($) | BTN Plus ($) |
Penn State boasts the NCAA’s No. 1 offense. The team has been held to four or fewer goals only once this season (a 4-3 loss to Arizona State). And it’s still picking up steam. In its last six games, the team scored an above-its-average 6.33 goals per outing. Seven Nittany Lions are producing upwards of a point-per-game. PSU boasts three of the nation’s top four scorers, including co-No. 1’s Evan Barratt and Alex Limoges.
| Team Stats | Penn State | Ohio State |
|---|---|---|
| Records | 9-2-0, 1-1-0-0 B1G | 8-3-1, 3-1--0-0 B1G |
| National Polls | No. 6 / No. 6 | No. 5 / No. 5 |
| Avg. Goals For / Against | 5.73 / 3.45 | 2/42 / 1.83 |
| Power Play / Penalty Kill | 23.7% / 80.0% | 16.4% / 82.4% |
| Leading Goal Scorer | Evan Barratt (9) | Mason Jobst (7) |
| Points Leader | Barratt, Alex Limoges (19) | Tanner Laczynski (11) |
| Top Goaltender | Peyton Jones (3.33/.903) | Tommy Nappier (1.27/.958) |
But the Buckeyes have experience with prolific players this season. They already faced three of the NCAA’s other top-10 scorers and three other top-15 offenses. Ohio State still ranks third in the nation in defense.
That status is thanks in large part to its rock solid goaltending crew. Tommy Nappier is No. 1 in the country in save percentage and No. 4 in GAA. Sean Romeo paces all netminders with three shutouts.
| Big Ten Standings | W | L | T | SOW | Pts | Last Week | This Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 8 Notre Dame | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | Sweep of MSU | Bye Week |
| No. 5 Ohio State | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | Sweep of WIS | Hosts PSU |
| 14/RV Michigan | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | Split at PSU | Hosts WIS |
| RV Minnesota | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | Split with St. Lawrence | Hosts MSU |
| No. 6 Penn State | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | Split with MCH | At OSU |
| Wisconsin | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | Swept by OSU | At MCH |
| Michigan State | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Swept by ND | At MIN |
Head coach Steve Rohlik sees no need to make significant changes to the Bucks’ game plan this week. “We’ve got to stick with what we do and that’s five man connected.” But he did note the importance of limiting giveaways against Penn State.
“We’ve got to be responsible with the puck against a team like this. They’re going to get their shots on net. They always have. You can’t give them free opportunities by turning the puck over a lot,” said Rohlik. “We don’t want to get out there and get into a track meet. We want to go out there and play our game and play solid hockey...Responsibility is No. 1 for us and discipline in our systems.”
If the Bucks can corral PSU’s scorers to any degree, they should have a shot at some W’s this week. The Nittany Lions’ defense is nowhere near as efficient as its offense. Though PSU scored 6+ goals per game in its last six outings, the team also gave up 4.83 per night. Overall the Lions rank No. 49 (out of 60 teams) in the nation on defense.
I don’t dispute that PSU’s roster brims with talented scorers. I do wonder how much the Lions’ home-game heavy schedule and unremarkable competition factors into their stats. Penn State has played only one contest on the road this season and its highest currently ranked foe is No. 14/16 ASU, with whom PSU split its series.
- Listen to Rohlik’s complete pre-series interview here. Plus hear comments from Mason Jobst, Gustaf Westlund, and Tommy Parran.
- Programming note: Going forward, we’ll be combining the men’s and women’s previews into a single article. Your feedback is appreciated as I get the bugs ironed out of the new format.
