The Ohio State University men's ice hockey team will look to keep its season alive when it takes on the championship favorites, the Wisconsin Badgers, in Madison, Wis.
The seventh-seeded Buckeyes (12-18-4, 4-18-2 Big Ten) will play the second-seeded Badgers (25-9-2, 16-7-1 Big Ten) at Kohl Center in the quarterfinals. do. A look at the Big Ten Tournament.
Head coach Steve Roerich said the team has been building up all year leading up to this series.
“I think we've played some really good hockey the last month and a half, so our guys have a little more confidence,” Roerich said. “Here we go. This is why we prepare, this is why we do all the summer training, this is why we go through all the things we've been through all season.”
There's no doubt that Ohio State has had a tough first half of the season against the Big Ten, with an 0-8-2 record heading into the Christmas break. That included a sweep to No. 1 at the time. 6 Wisconsin, December 1 and December 2, 2023. However, the Buckeyes were able to turn their fortunes around by winning four games in the second half of the Big Ten game, falling to 4-10.
Two of their four wins came via a home series sweep against the Badgers. Rohrik said the regular season series boosted the Buckeyes' confidence and showed Wisconsin could win.
“We played solid and didn't give them many chances. That's how we played against them,” Roerich said. “We're excited for this game, but we know we have to be much better than we were against them.”
Junior goaltender Logan Turnes said the players are confident in their abilities heading into Madison this weekend.
“I think we're a confident group overall. We're always ready to go,” Turness said. “With the group we're in, we've done all the work. We're ready to go into this series.”
Ohio State and Michigan State are the two teams that have not won the Big Ten men's ice hockey tournament. The Buckeyes' closest appearances were in the inaugural tournament in 2014 and in his 2018 finals.
In the 2014 finals, they lost 5-4 to the Badgers in overtime, and four years later they lost to Notre Dame, 3-2 in overtime. The Badgers only won the tournament once in their first year and lost in the finals twice in 2017 and 2021.
Senior defenseman Mason Clay said the team knows they are losing the series and will embrace that role against Madison. The team enjoys the spoiler role, he said.
“We're definitely the underdogs, but I think we like where we are,” Clay said. “I think we know we can beat this team. We're going to go there to win two games.”
While the playoffs allow individuals to step up and make a name for themselves, Rohrik said he believes anyone on the team can.
“We've got to rely on the players that have been here and done it. It could be a sophomore, it could be a freshman, it could be a senior,” Roerich said. “Obviously, the young players are not freshmen anymore, but we have to be the best version of ourselves.”
The Buckeyes and Badgers will play on Big Ten Plus on Friday at 8 p.m. Game 2 will be played on Saturday at 7pm and, if necessary, Game 3 on Sunday at 6pm on the same network.