Men's Hockey
Buckeyes Head to Minneapolis for First Round NCAA Action
By Paula C. Weston
As the Buckeyes head to Minneapolis as the No. 3 seed in the four-team NCAA West Regional field, no one expects Ohio State (27-10-4) to get past No. 2 seed Cornell (26-4-3) in Saturday's late game.

No one, that is, except Ohio State.

"We're just going up there to spend time," quipped head coach John Markell. "Nobody thinks we can win."

The 2004-05 Buckeyes are a team of NCAA Then and Now.

Then, the Buckeyes couldn't score a goal in NCAA play. In fact, Ohio State hasn't scored a goal in the NCAA tournament for the last 136:32 of play, dating back to Brandon Lafrance's third-period goal against Maine in the 1999 East regional, a game that Maine won 4-2.

Then, the Buckeyes are one-and-done, having lost their first game in NCAA Regional play for their last three appearances. There was the game against Maine in 1999, the 1-0 loss to Boston College in 2003, and last year's 1-0 overtime loss to Wisconsin.

And Then especially last season the Buckeyes were experienced, heavy with seniors and players who had been to this Big Dance before.

Nowwell, now things are different. "This is a different team. Our young kids don't know that [losing in the NCAA tournament]," said Markell. "That was 10 different seniors, and we have 10 different freshmen."

This Ohio State squad enters the NCAA tournament on a loss, having dropped a tough, tight Central Collegiate Hockey Association Super Six championship game to Michigan last week, 4-2.

But this Ohio State squad has also rebounded from every loss it's experienced this season after the opening weekend of play, having not dropped back-to-back losses since appearing in the Ice Breaker Tournament in New Hampshire, Oct. 9-10.

Only twice this season since the Ice Breaker have the Buckeyes experienced a winless streak longer than one game a loss and tie Nov. 19-20, and a tie and loss Dec. 10-11 resulting in a record that earned this squad a No. 2 seed in the CCHA postseason tournament for the first time since 1984.

"I think we like the position we're in," said senior captain JB Bittner. "Our team all year has bounced back after tough losses. We had a tough one [in the CCHA championship game], kind of emotional, and I think it will just fire the guys up a little more."

And this Ohio State squad played to this record with 11 freshmen, eight of whom skate on a regular basis. The Buckeyes play two seniors on a regular basis, Bittner and forward Lee Spector. "We'll have a young team going in there," said Markell. "They should be excited about it and sometimes that can be a good thing."

"I think [the freshmen] kind of just go about their business, don't even think about who we're playing or where we're playing, or how many fans are there or whatever," said Bittner. "They're just young and they just like to play, and I think it's great for us."

The advantages the Buckeye freshmen bring to OSU's postseason extend beyond youthful enthusiasm. Forward Tom Fritsche (10-3343), who leads the Buckeyes in scoring, played his way onto the CCHA Super Six All-Tournament Team and has three goals and four assists for seven points in five postseason games, tying him for seventh in OSU history for most points in a single postseason.

Fritsche's classmate Jason DeSantis (4-59) has two postseason goals, and fellow freshman Domenic Maiani (11-2233) has two assists in postseason play and is a monster on faceoffs.

Of Ice and Penalties

Beyond the extended NCAA scoreless streak and OSU's relative youth, the Buckeyes have two other immediate concerns: the big ice sheet at the University of Minnesota's Mariucci Arena, and the number of penalty minutes OSU averages per game.

This is the only regional to be played on an Olympic-sized sheet, which measures 200'x100'. The Buckeyes play their games on regulation ice 200'x85' and they only two games OSU played this season on the big ice were the losses in the Ice Breaker tourney.

"It will be something different for us, because we haven't played on the big ice surface this year and I don't think they [Cornell] have either," said Markell, "so it will be an adjustment period for both teams, but I think we have an opportunity, and that's what you look forward to, an opportunity to play for a national championship."

"In the past," said Bittner, "we've had maybe a bigger, more slower team. I think it benefit us more this year playing on the open ice surface, with the kind of team speed we have."

And the Buckeyes are fast, with those freshmen forwards Fritsche and Maiani (11-2233), sophomores Andrew Schembri (4-1923) and Matt Beaudoin (23-1134), and juniors Dan Knapp (12-2335) Rod Pelley (22-1934), all players able to motor with the best of them.

"You've got some young kids that can play on the big ice Maiani, Fritsche these guys can skate," said Markell. "It's different, but I think we're a good-skating hockey club, and I'm sure Cornell is, too. We'll have to make adjustments. There will be a premium on puck protections, not giving it up, so that teams don't find lanes.

"There's a way of playing on it, and hopefully in the past we've played enough games on it to understand it; there's a few adjustments, but not that many. It still comes down to one-on-one battles, timely goal scoring, and staying out of the penalty box."

Both Cornell and Ohio State play physical, bruising hockey, but the Buckeyes are second in the nation in penalty minutes, averaging more than 24 per game. The misconception is that Ohio State takes penalties while opponents spend inordinate amounts of time on the power play, but the stats show that OSU draws opponents into nearly as many penalties as the Buckeyes take themselves, forcing a game of special teams.

"If we take six, they take five," said Markell. "We have the capability of forcing teams into penalties. If you've got the puck, they have to chase youbut we have to make sure that we have the puck."

The match between OSU and Cornell pits the nation's third-best overall special teams squad the Buckeyes against the nation's leader, the Big Red.

Of course, in this game, the size of the ice surface may dictate a more wide-open style of play, less game along the boards and less physical contact, something that can go either way for either team.

And the officials from this game will be neutral, coming from either the Western Collegiate Hockey Association or Hockey East, not from the CCHA or the East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC) to which Cornell belongs.

Given that this year's NCAA crackdown of on-ice infractions has been interpreted differently by each conference, how quickly each team adjusts to the officiating will be a factor in the game.

"The CCHA has been following the protocol [of rules enforcement], and they said all along that everyone would be used to it by the time we get to the NCAAs," said Markell. "It's a big question mark in our game because of the way they play and the way we play."

The Big Red

The Buckeyes face a very familiar foe in Cornell, having played against the Big Red at least once for the last six consecutive seasons. Along with Maine another team in this bracket the Ohio State and Cornell were cofounders of the Everblades College Classic, played annually in late December in Estero, Fla.

OSU is 6-5-0 all-time against Cornell, and went 2-2 against the Big Red in Everblades College Classic play. Markell is 4-4-0 all-time against Cornell.

Cornell enters the NCAA tournament having taken the ECAC regular-season and tournament titles, and is riding an 18-game unbeaten streak (17-0-1).

Cornell leads the nation defensively, allowing just 1.24 goals per game, and sophomore goaltender David McKee (1.20 GAA, .947 SV%) is a Hobey Baker finalist.

Cornell has two 10-goal scorers, junior Matt Moulson (22-1840) and senior Mike Knoepfli (12-1325). Moulson has 12 power-play goals, and the Big Red man advantage is first in the nation (25.1%). The Big Red penalty kill is also first (89.1%).

Cornell is coached by Mike Schafer. Ohio State associate head coach Casey Jones is a 1990 graduate of Cornell and a former captain of the Big Red. Shafer, now in his 10th season as head coach, served as an assistant coach all four years that Jones played.

The Rest of the Field

Should the Buckeyes beat Cornell, they'll advance to play the winner of the contest between No. 4 seed Maine (20-12-7) and No. 1 seed and host Minnesota (26-14-1).

The Black Bears dropped a double-overtime game to Boston College in Hockey East semifinal play last week, and like Ohio State were a "bubble" team.

Maine scores 3.2 goals per game on average while giving up 2.0. The Black Bear power play converts at a rate of 16.5 percent, and the penalty kill is effective 87.4 percent of the time.

Leading Maine in scoring is senior Derek Damon (14-1327), and the Black Bears have five additional 10-goal scorers on the squad. In net for Maine is junior Jimmy Howard (1.95 GAA, .922 SV%).

Maine is coached by Tim Whitehead. Markell is 2-5-0 all-time against Maine.

Minnesota, coached by Don Lucia, went 0-2 in the WCHA Final Five, losing to Colorado College in the semifinals and to North Dakota in the third-place game. That loss to CC snapped a seven-game win streak for the Golden Gophers, and an eight-game unbeaten streak.

Minnesota averages 3.7 goals per game while allowing 2.5. The Golden Gopher power play converts at 21.5 percent, and the penalty kill is effective 82.9 percent of the time.

Led in scoring by junior Tyler Hirsch (11-3344), the Golden Gophers boast six 10-goal scorers, including two sophomores with 24 goals each, Danny Irmen (24-1943) and Ryan Potulny (24-1741).

Sophomore Kelly Briggs (2.51 GAA, .910 SV%) has seen the bulk of time in the Minnesota net, but senior Justin Johnson (2.34 GAA, .914 SV%) has played 13 games.

Markell is 1-2-0 all-time against Minnesota. The Bottom Line

If Ohio State is to get past Cornell this weekend, the Buckeyes must stay out of the penalty box in the early going. The Buckeyes can roll four very good lines, each capable of scoring and defending, and if every defender has a chance to play, keeping the blue line fresh, junior goaltender Dave Caruso (2.11 GAA, .919 SV%) will see every shot, and he stops what he sees.

And while the Buckeyes are young, they are now experienced, having to play a three-game, first-round CCHA playoff series with Ferris State, a semifinal game against Michigan State that may have knocked them out of the NCAA tournament had they loss, and a conference championship game against one of the best teams in the nation.

"It's one and done, and we knew that going into Michigan State," said Markell. "The leadership comes from within. These guys know what each brings to the table. They don't want to let each other down. They have to be intrinsically motivated, and that's what these guys are."

And at least one Division I head coach has a little faith in the Buckeyes. He should. The title game his team played against OSU in last weekend's Super Six could have gone either way.

"I think it's good for Ohio State to play a game like Michigan going into the tournament," said Michigan head coach Red Berenson. "I think they have a good chance of getting out of that regional."
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