Members of the Ohio State men’s ice hockey team look on from the boards during then-No. 12 Ohio State’s 3-1 win over No. 14 Michigan State in Columbus on Jan. 6. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
The No. 8 Ohio State men’s ice hockey team looks to continue its momentum against No. 6 Michigan in a series at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor Friday and Saturday.
The Buckeyes (14-7-1, 7-5-0 Big Ten) come into the weekend off a sweep of Michigan State and a five-game winning streak overall, while the Wolverines (12-7-1, 4-6-0 Big Ten) are coming off a 7-6 exhibition win against the United States National Team Development Program’s U-18 Team Jan. 6.
Head coach Steve Rohlik said he likes what he sees from his team over the winning stretch and encourages them to stay focused and hungry for the task ahead.
“Our whole focus is on Friday,” Rohlik said. “You learn from whatever that last game was, you have a good week of practice because it’s always about Monday through Thursday, and then your whole focus is on that next game.”
Ohio State will be tasked with defending an offensive attack from Michigan that ranks second in the Big Ten in both goals scored at 3.8 per game and assists at 6.35 per game.
Leading the way for the Wolverine offense is a trio of double-digit scoring forwards in sophomore Mackie Samoskevich, freshman Adam Fantilli and sophomore Dylan Duke, with 12, 11 and 10 goals scored on the season, respectively.
On the other side of the ice, the Buckeyes will lean on their goalies, highlighted by sophomore Jakub Dobeš, who leads the Big Ten in save percentage at .923 and lowest goals-against average at 2.12.
Michigan ranks next to last in the Big Ten in save percentage at .907 and goals against average at 2.95.
Both teams struggle with committing penalties, as the Wolverines are averaging exactly six penalties per contest and the Buckeyes not trailing far behind at 5.05, good for the bottom-two rankings in the Big Ten.
Rohlik said he believes the key to success against Michigan is to control the time of possession and stick to the system that’s worked all year.
“We got to stay within our structure,” Rohlik said. “We got to possess pucks, and we can’t have easy turnovers because those are the ones that really kill you.”
Last season, the Buckeyes dropped three of four matchups with the Wolverines, with their last win coming on Dec. 11, 2021, in Columbus 6-1.
Fifth-year forward and team captain Jake Wise said while the team is focused, last season’s results have created extra motivation within the group.
“It’s so huge,” Wise said. “Last year, there at the end, we were riding pretty hot, and we got there and dropped a couple. That ended up being a big part of why we didn’t make the [NCAA] Tournament.”
Puck drop is at 6:30 p.m. Friday, and BTN+ will broadcast. Saturday’s game starts at 4:30 pm and will be available on Big Ten Network.
