022419 OSU x MI

Buckeyes win in 3x3 OT, secure first Big Ten regular season title

Notes from the 2nd game of Ohio State at Michigan this weekend, where Steve Rohlik’s Buckeyes secured the conference title

Michigan (down key centerman Josh Norris for the season) weren’t able to take a second win on the weekend despite a repeat of the Wolverines freshman class (read: Nolan Moyle and Nick Blankenburg) stepping up to the plate.

Ohio State, with Gustaf Westlund and Dakota Joshua out of the line-up, played a pretty solid game, killed off their penalties and punished Michigan enough times to make it through.

The game started off in standard fashion with a bit of a feeling-out period, where Michigan would then start to test the net. Quinn Hughes seemed to have scored (celebration and all) but the puck was determined to have gone bar-and-out so the play on-ice continued. Hughes was himself tonight, with glowing passes right on the mark and video game style zone-entries, opening up his body, reorienting 180 degrees on the fly, then zipping off passes to sticks 70+ feet away. Ohio State on the whole were better with their entries I felt, they did a good job of attacking on the transition with quick passes and edging Michigan to get the better of pucks.

Ohio State would have an opportunity to respond to Quinn Hughes chance thanks to a 5min major on Brendan Warren for kneeing Sasha Larocque behind the play. They didn’t get much on the first 2 or so minutes (one quality chance by Carson Meyer) until Meyer would get a good look at the net in close and score.

The Buckeyes early lead would be contested with a lot of intensity and strong play from Michigan. Eventually freshman defender Nick Blankenburg with a terrific rush would follow the play right to the net and receive the puck back from Will Lockwood (14th assist of the year), burying it around Tommy Nappier. You could see the former forward in Blankenburg as he surged up the ice and opened up for the pass. He should be a nice player for the Wolverines in the post-Quinn Hughes era.

Hughes is worth waxing poetic on. He makes you re-think how hockey could be played, constantly entering the zone and making great passes. At the other end, if you dump it in against #43 you’re retrieving against either him or Joe Cecconi, which isn’t desirable. Even if you can beat them to inside position on the puck — they’ll usually beat you back up ice. Cecconi is the perfect steady-eddie to Hughes frenetic fourth-forward style, and in doing so lets Hughes be Hughes. Cecconi would end up getting his on the powerplay in the 2nd period.

Other notes from the 2nd and 3rd period: Brendon Kearney scored his 7th of the year on a nice shot. OSU center Ronnie Hein had a powerful surge up ice where he nearly scored single-handedly. His game isn’t at an elite level but there’s plenty to like about him as a potential pro. Michigan freshman Nolan Moyle continues to find ways to put up numbers, scoring the game-tyer on a nice extra-effort. Never had him pegged as someone who would be a star offensively but he’s showcasing the capacity to be a welcome piece of that puzzle as his time in Ann Arbor goes on.

There was plenty of penalty trouble, it was really the story of the game. I think both the 2nd and the 3rd periods started with special teams, as well as part of the extra overtime. The game would be decided by Mason Jobst jumping out of the box, Ronnie Hein hitting him with a stretch-pass that caught Michigan defenseman Nick Boka sleeping. The finish was a clutch little tuck breaking in on net with not much time in the game. Goal link here

Other thoughts from the game:

If Jobst and Meyer shine as well as they do with this OSU group, just how good would former recruit Sean Dhooghe be? This offense would be gangbusters. Reminds me of my PSU with Logan Hutsko hypothetical.

Last thought: OSU soph goalie Tommy Nappier is a warrior, man. I remember him being on the St. Louis AAA Blues with Joe Woll ‘back in the day’. It’s fun to think that Nappier might actually be better — and that is no slight to Woll! I’ve gotten such an appreciation for Nappier this year, OSU have him playing Saturday nights where he’s the ‘closer’, he makes all the stops they ask him, and he really competes. He also just looks like he’s having a lot of fun out there. It’s hard not to root for him.