No rink for old men: Ohio State men's ice hockey's Sean Duddy, Cory Schneider defy senior jokes

Members of the Ohio State men's ice hockey team have a nickname for the apartment the team's senior co-captains, defenseman Sean Duddy and forward Cory Schneider, share.

"They call us the ‘retirement home,'" Duddy said laughingly. "(Schneider) just kind of lays back in his arm chair and watches TV. We just hang out, no drama."

While their relaxing demeanor off the ice has resulted in their teammates looking at them as people with decades of life experience, Duddy and Schneider's veteran ways inside the rink this season are a major reason why the No. 17-ranked Buckeyes still have hope for a successful end to the year.

OSU (15-11-5, 11-10-5-1 CCHA) has struggled lately, losing seven of its past 10 games, but the team remains in the hunt for an NCAA Tournament berth. The Buckeyes are ranked 13th in the PairWise rankings, which is used to help select and seed schools for the 16-team NCAA Tournament. OSU ends the regular season with a home-and-home series against Miami (Ohio) this weekend, and is seventh in the CCHA.

Duddy and Schneider have led OSU as co-captains this season, and coach Mark Osiecki said he could not be more pleased with the leadership they have provided.

"I think those guys as leaders are unbelievable, strong foundations that we can build on," Osiecki said. "As a player, certainly, they'd probably like to be goal scorers and block 50 shots a game, and that's not what a leader's all about. They're coming in and doing an outstanding job."

Even though they are not statistical superstars, Duddy and Schneider are no slouches when it comes to performing on the ice.

Duddy is second on the team in blocked shots with 45 and has 13 assists. Schneider has scored four goals, two of which came on Nov. 11, to secure a 4-1 win for OSU against then No. 14-ranked Northern Michigan in Columbus.

What Osiecki is happier with, though, is the example Duddy and Schneider have set for his young team that includes 12 freshman and seven total sophomores.

"Everything away from the rink — classes are outstanding, their GPAs are super high, they make the right choices away from the rink, and they lead on their preparation coming into games and practices. You can't ask for really any more than that," Osiecki said.

Their teammates also said they appreciate what they bring to the table.

"(Schneider) taught me the ways coming in as a freshman. That's huge. He's done this with all of our freshman. He's a great captain and great person to look up to," said sophomore forward Chris Crane.

Schneider said he appreciates the respect he gets from his teammates.

"It's definitely an honor to be voted (captain) by your teammates. You know, we have a great group of guys and this is a group of guys that I will remember for my whole career," he said.

Duddy's performance on and off the ice this season has garnered national recognition. He has been named one of 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award that rewards student-athletes for their achievements in four areas — character, classroom, community and competition. Duddy has a 3.97 cumulative GPA and will graduate in March with a bachelor's degree in finance. Lowe's will announce the winner of the award during the NCAA Men's Frozen Four, held in Tampa Bay, Fla., on Apr. 5 and 7.

"You look at the list of the other finalists, and there are some great guys on there," Duddy said. "Some great players, great people, it's an honor to be named a finalist."

Duddy and Schneider's careers at OSU have not always been full of success, though.

The two went through a coaching change following their sophomore season in 2009-10, when Osiecki, a Wisconsin assistant at the time, replaced John Markell as coach. They have also never made it past the quarterfinal round of the CCHA tournament and have only appeared in the NCAA Tournament once, an 8-3 loss to Boston University in the first round their freshman season, during which Duddy could not play because of a season-ending leg injury.

Despite the lack of consistent success, both said they have enjoyed their time as Buckeyes, especially sharing the captain's role this season.

"It's been easier than I thought," Schneider said of being a co-captain. "The young guys have caught on really quick and they've been good. We're actually learning a lot from them. Having (Duddy) as a co-captain has helped a lot. We get unbelievable character out of him, he's an unbelievable leader."

Duddy said the same of Schneider.