Led by second-round selection Zac Dalpe, three incoming Ohio State men’s hockey players were drafted in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft Saturday in Ottawa, Ontario. The Carolina Hurricanes drafted Dalpe, a forward from Paris, Ontario, with the 45th pick, making him the second second-round selection in Buckeye history. Forward Taylor Stefishen was chosen by Nashville in the fifth round (No. 136) and defenseman Matt Bartkowski was selected by Florida in the seventh round (No. 190). The trio all signed NCAA National Letters of Intent with Ohio State in November 2007.

In one of many trades during the first round Friday night, former Buckeye All-American R.J. Umberger was traded from the Philadelphia Flyers to the Columbus Blue Jackets for the Jackets’ 19th and 67th picks in the 2008 draft. Umberger, the 2001 Central Collegiate Hockey Association Rookie of the Year, was a three-year letterwinnner for the Buckeyes (2001-03) and was the fifth Buckeye to earn All-America honors when he was named to the second team in 2003, when he also was a Hobey Baker Memorial Award finalist. He is the highest NHL draft pick in Ohio State history, as he was selected in the first round, 16th overall, by the Vancouver Canucks in 2001. Umberger has played for the Flyers in the NHL the last four years and has seen action in 228 regular-season games, posting 49 goals and 67 assists for 116 points. He had a career-best 37 assists and 50 points last season and during the Flyers’ run in the Stanley Cup playoffs, Umberger had 10 goals and 15 points in 17 games.

Dalpe, 6-foot and 170-pounds, is the second player with Buckeye ties to be drafted in the second round, joining Tom Fritsche (2005-08), who was drafted 47th overall by the Colorado Avalanche in 2005. A member of the Penticton Vees in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), Dalpe tied for fifth among league rookies with 63 points (27g, 36a) in 46 games during the regular season. He helped lead the Vees to the BCHL Championship and had 17 points in 15 playoff games. He scored a hat trick as Canada West won the gold medal at the 2007 World Junior “A” Challenge.

Stefishen, a native of North Vancouver, British Columbia, is a 5-11, 170-pound left wing. He spent 2007-08 with the Langley Chiefs in the BCHL, tallying 81 points, on 33 goals and 48 assists, in 57 games. He also played for the Chiefs in 2006-07, posting 56 points, including 25 goals and 31 assists, in 59 games.

Bartkowski, a 6-1, 203-pound left-shot defenseman from Pittsburgh, Pa., played for the Lincoln Stars in the USHL in 2007-08. In his second year with the team, he had 41 points, including a team-best 37 assists, in 60 regular-season games to rank fourth on his team in scoring.

The trio selected Saturday join four current Buckeye NHL draft picks - goalie Joseph Palmer (Chicago 2006), sophomore defenseman Shane Sims (New York Islanders 2006) and sophomore forwards John Albert (Atlanta 2007) and C.J. Severyn (Calgary 2007).

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Three former Ohio State men’s hockey players are in action in the 2008 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. Dave Steckel (2001-04) and his Washington Capitals are taking on R.J. Umberger (2001-03) and the Philadelphia Flyers in a first-round series. Rod Pelley (2002-05) is on the New Jersey Devils’ playoff roster in their series vs. the New York Rangers.

Steckel scored a goal last Friday in his first playoff game as the Caps downed the Flyers, 5-4. During the regular season, he played in 67 games for Washington, record five goals, seven assists and 12 points. Steckel has seen action in 79 career NHL games.

Umberger scored in the Flyers’ 2-0 win over the Caps Sunday as Philadelphia tied the series at one game apiece. Umberger played in 74 games this season, posting 50 points, including 37 assists. He has played in 228 NHL games, all with Philadelphia, recording 49 goals, 67 assists and 67 points.

Pelley has not seen action for the Devils yet this postseason, as they trail in the series with the Rangers, 2-1. He last played for the NHL team in four-consecutive games March 15-22. He played in 58 regular-season games this season and had two goals and six points. Pelley has played in 67 career games at the NHL level.

Former Buckeye Ryan Kesler (2003) also played in the NHL this season, skating in 80 games for the Vancouver Canucks, who did not qualify for the playoffs. He had 21 goals and 37 points in 2007-08 and has a 39-42-81 line in 238 NHL games.

Nate Guenin, a Buckeye from 2002-05, also is a member of the Flyers organization. He was recalled by the NHL club April 10, but was returned to the Philadelphia Phantoms in the American Hockey League the next day. Guenin skated in two NHL games in 2007-08 and has played in 11 games at the NHL level in his career, posting two assists.

Ohio State was one of 19 schools to have five or more former student-athletes in the NHL during 2007-08 and tied for fourth in the CCHA in current NHL players.

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Johann Kroll and Matt McIlvane, former Ohio State men’s hockey players, have both signed amateur tryout contracts with American Hockey League teams. Kroll, a defenseman, signed with the Rochester Americans. McIlvane agreed to terms with the Binghamton Senators.

Kroll, who ended his career with 153 games played, had 27 points as a Buckeye, including 22 assists. He had four assists and five points in 35 games as a senior. He has played in one game for the Americans.

McIlvane saw action in 156 games as a Buckeye. He had five goals, 11 assists and 16 points as a senior in 2007-08 and ended his career with a 15-37-52 line. He has not seen action for the Senators yet this season.

Former Buckeye forward Tommy Goebel, who signed an ATO with the Springfield Falcons last week, is now under an ATO with Rochester. He has played in three games for the Americans, recording a goal and three assists for four points.

Kyle Hood, a forward/defenseman with the Buckeyes, has joined the Arizona Sundogs of the Central Hockey League.

Tom Fritsche is now a member of the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters and has played in five games with the team, recording a goal. Jason DeSantis, who signed with the Philadelphia Phantoms in the AHL, has played in one game with the team.

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Jason DeSantis, Tom Fritsche and Tommy Goebel, men’s hockey seniors, signed professional contracts last week following the conclusion of the Buckeyes’ season.

DeSantis, a defenseman, signed an amateur tryout contract (ATO) with the Philadelphia Phantoms, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers. He also agreed to an AHL contract for the 2008-09 season. DeSantis ended his Buckeye career with 60 points, including 16 goals and 44 assists, in 144 games as a Buckeye. He joins former Buckeye Nate Guenin (2002-05) on the Phantoms roster, while former Buckeye R.J. Umberger is a member of the Flyers.

Fritsche, a forward who was drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the second round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, signed an ATO with the Lake Erie Monsters, the AHL affiliate of the Avalanche. Fritsche played in 137 games as a Buckeye and recorded 107 points, including 75 assists, with a 5-14-19 line in 2007-08. He was the 2005 INCH National Freshman of the Year, a 2005 CCHA All-Rookie Team choice and received the 2007 Terry Flanagan Memorial Award, given to the Central Collegiate Hockey Association’s comeback player of the year.

Goebel, a forward, signed an ATO with the Springfield Falcons of the AHL. Goebel was the team’s leading scorer in 2007-08, posting 21 goals and 36 assists. Goebel, who spent two years at Michigan State before transferring to Ohio State, completed his collegiate career with 54 goals, 61 assists and 115 points in 148 games.

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Way back in mid-October, the OSU men’s hockey team got off to a promising start by posting back-to-back wins at the season opening Lefty McFadden College Hockey Tournament held at the Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio. An opening round win over Mercyhurst, followed by a win over perennial power Wisconsin gave fans, and those associated with the hockey program, reason for optimism heading into the regular season schedule. Unfortunately, that promising start quickly fizzled out, as it was followed by an eleven game winless streak (ten losses and one tie.)
Coming down the stretch, however, the team seemed to find its legs, and more importantly, found the net a bit more often, in posting some good wins, and playing all their opponents tough. That improved play, once again, gave those around the program some basis for optimism heading into a best-of-three postseason matchup at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Michigan. The Buckeyes even had a revenge factor working in their favor as it was these same Northern Michigan Wildcats who knocked the Buckeyes out of postseason play at Value City Arena the previous year.
When the Buckeyes grabbed the opening game of the series on Friday night 4-3 behind seniors Tommy Goebel and Jason DeSantis who each had a goal and two assists, momentum certainly seemed to be on their side. The only dark cloud hovering over the Buckeyes after their opening night win was the memory of opening the playoff series last year with a win before falling the next two games to close out their season. Would history repeat itself? Sadly, it did.
The same weakness, which has plagued the Buckeyes throughout the season, an inability to finish scoring chances, led to 4-2 and 6-1 losses and yet another promising start came crashing down around the Buckeyes. Tommy Goebel and seven other seniors including Tom Fritsche, John Dingle, Kyle Hood, DeSantis, Johann Kroll, Phil Lauderdale, and Captain Matt McIlvane closed out their careers in disappointment.
The final numbers for the season, just twelve wins against twenty-five losses and four ties, are not pretty. And coming on the heels of two more losing seasons, 15-19-5 in 2005-2006 and 15-17-5 in 2006-2007 the obvious question is, “Where is the men’s hockey program headed from here?” Given the fact that the Buckeye icers play in the finest on-campus college facility in North America, and the fact that the program has had a high level of success in the not-too-distant past, frustration levels are quite high, and many people are asking “What changes, if any, are in the works to remedy the situation?”
If on-line reports are correct, head coach John Markell and his staff will return for another season after the coach met with AD Gene Smith recently. With one talented recruiting class now poised to become sophomores, and the second ranked recruiting class in the nation, with seven recruits coming on board next season, the athletic administration seems content to see if all this infusion of talent can change things around. How long Smith will remain content, remains to be seen, so we can only hope that the coming season is a sharp turn upward for the program, and happier times for all of us who want to see the program excel year in and year out.

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After a successful weekend foray into the land of the Golden Domers, February 22 and 23, in which the Buckeye icers played well in winning 3-1 on Friday and tying Notre Dame 2-2 on Saturday, the team returned home to play their in-state rivals, Miami University, Tuesday February 26th. The final home game at Value City Arena pitted the improving Buckeyes against the Redhawks who were ranked 5th nationally going into the contest. The crowd of 3,871 appeared to be equally split between Buckeye and Redhawk fans, and each side had plenty to cheer about, but in the end, Miami prevailed 2-1.

Just 59 seconds into the game, after OSU goalie Joseph Palmer stopped one point-blank shot from the Redhawks, and another shot hit the goalpost, Buckeye freshman John Albert took a pass from fellow freshman Peter Boyd down the right side, skated around a Miami defender, and beat Miami goalie Jeff Zatkoff top shelf for his fourth goal of the season.

The lead held up until 15:53 when Miami’s Justin Vaive’s wraparound attempt was stopped by Palmer, but the rebound found the net off the stick of Alexandre Lacombe.

There were no goals in the second period, which was an evenly-played stanza, and the two teams skated to their respective dressing rooms anticipating who would be the first to blink in the tightly-played contest.

Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, Miami’s Jarod Palmer capitalized on an OSU turnover behind the Buckeye net at 5:25 of the third period, and the Redhawks, behind the stellar goaltending of Zatkoff, shut down the OSU skaters for the remainder of the game. The 2-1 victory was Maimi’s fourth straight over the Buckeyes this season, and when the Redhawks prevailed on Saturday night in Oxford, Miami ended the regular season with a 5 game sweep of OSU. Despite beating the Buckeyes home and home, the Redhawks finished the regular season in second place behind the Michigan Wolverines.

Even though the Buckeyes finished the regular season a disappointing 7-18-3 in CCHA Conference play, good for 11th place in the conference standings, they head into the first-round of the playoffs playing their best hockey of the season. Whether this team can make some noise in the post season, and put together a playoff run, will go a long way toward determining if they can send off the senior class with something to remember of their final year at OSU. It could also go a long way toward giving the young Buckeyes some reason for optimism heading into next year.

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After playing three solid periods of hockey Friday night against the Northern Michigan Wildcats, yet being shutout for their efforts, it looked as if another good effort Saturday evening might result in another frustrating loss for the Buckeyes when they entered the final four minutes of play down 2-1. But instead of more frustration, OSU managed to find a way to win as they have few times this season when trailing late.

It all began with one of OSU’s best three-period games Friday night in Value City Arena. The Buckeyes came out skating and hitting as hard as they have all season, but despite amassing a lopsided shot advantage, they couldn’t get a single puck past Wildcat netminder Brian Stewart. The tall, agile goalie came up with one great save after another as the Buckeyes constantly kept the pressure on. At the other end of the rink, OSU goalie Joseph Palmer was just as stingy until NMU’s Matt Siddall found the net through traffic just past the halfway point of the second period. Undaunted, the Bucks continued pressuring the wildcats in their own end firing shot after shot at Stewart - all to no avail. Each team traded disallowed goals, but the 1-0 score stood until NMU netted an empty net goal by Mark Oliver, his second point on the night, to close out the scoring at 19:09. The final tally stood Wildcats 2, OSU 0. The barrage of shots, 46 in all, by the Buckeyes told a tale of thorough territorial advantage, but the bottom line was the ability of the Wildcats to score, while the Buckeyes could not.

The win was NMU’s first ever in Value City Arena, and kept their chances alive to secure home ice for the first round of the CCHA conference playoffs. OSU, on the other hand, continued to lose at home, which has been a recurring trend throughout the season.

The Buckeyes maintained their high level of intensity Saturday night in front of one of the largest crowds of the season – 8,099. This time, they got an early reward for their strong play when freshman Peter Boyd scored on a nice wrap-around at 19:38 of the first period with assists from defensemen Johann Kroll and Corey Toy. Unlike so many other times in recent seasons when the Buckeyes have been victimized by late goals in a period, the hockey gods were smiling on OSU this time.

With the one goal advantage, the Buckeyes continued to skate well in the second period, but NMU scored twice, Gregor Hanson at 12:01, and Mark Oliver on a power play at 16:06 to take a 2-1 lead into the locker room at the second intermission. When the Buckeyes failed to exhibit the same jump through the first half of the third period, it appeared that they were heading for the same old, same old. But just when hope seemed lost, Peter Boyd lit the lamp again at 16:08 on a power play off assists from Nick Biondo and Shane Sims. The goal energized the Buckeyes and their fans, who strapped themselves in for the wild ride to the finish that would ensue on this night featuring race cars and a racing theme.

Despite a determined effort by the Buckeyes, the minutes dwindled down until only a few precious seconds remained. When freshman John Albert gained control of the puck along the boards in the Wildcats’ end, it seemed that it was too late to do any good. But Albert quickly fired the puck toward the Wildcats’ goal. Just at that moment, team leader in goals, Tommy Goebel, flashed by from behind the net and managed to redirect the puck into the net and past the startled NMU netminder. Simultaneous with the puck entering the net, the buzzer sounded the end of the regulation. The Buckeye players and fans collectively held their breath as the referee skated to the scorer’s table to check the replay to determine if time had expired before the puck crossed the goal line. After several minutes, that seemed like an eternity, the referee stepped back on the ice and signaled that the goal was good. Fans exploded into cheers and Buckeye players piled on Goebel in a wild celebration. In a season in which very little has gone right for the Bucks, they finally had something to feel good about. Best of all, was the fact that Tommy Goebel scored the winning goal on Senior Night to give all the Buckeye seniors something that they will surely remember for years to come.

The Buckeyes hit the road now for the remainder of the season except for a home game on February 26th against in-state rival, and nationally number 2 ranked Miami University. That game, despite being on a Tuesday night, should be well attended because of the intensity of the growing rivalry. Who knows, maybe OSU can skate into the CCHA playoffs with a little momentum after all.

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Just when it looked like the Ohio State men’s hockey team might be ready to control a hockey game from the opening puck drop at the Value City Arena Friday night, the bottom fell out resulting in a 5-2 loss. Starting play with a hard skating, determined mindset against the Bowling Green Falcons, the Buckeyes had several early scoring chances, but couldn’t manage to put the puck behind Falcon’s netminder Nick Eno. The Bucks were able to press the action in the Falcon’s end until they were forced to kill off two penalties before the nine minute mark of the period. From that point on, they appeared to lose whatever fire they had and Bowling Green took control. The change in momentum resulted in a goal by Derek Whitmore at 13:01, which seemed to further damage the fragile psyche of the young Buckeyes. When the Buckeyes gave up yet another late goal with just 41 seconds remaining in the period, the game was all but over for Ohio State and the decent crowd of 5, 002 began to sense that they had seen this show before.

Despite a goal by OSU’s Nick Biondo at 15:19 of the second period, with assists to Tom Fritsche and Jason DeSantis, that brought the Buckeyes within one at 2-1, the Buckeyes’ level of play never inspired confidence that they could get back into this one. And when Jacob Cepis scored on a breakaway at 18:37, hope was all but lost. OSU head coach John Markell vented his frustration with his team’s lackluster effort by calling an unusually early time out near the halfway point of the period, but his words apparently fell on deaf ears as there seemed to be no appreciable increase in the Buckeyes’ level of play after the time out.

Cepis’ second goal of the game for BG just 49 seconds into the third period, pretty much sealed the deal for the Falcons. When Whitmore found the empty net in the final seconds of the game for his second tally of the night, the third period goal at 16:34 by OSU defenseman Corey Toy, assisted by Tommy Goebel and Kyle Reed, was rendered too little, too late. With the loss, the Buckeyes abysmal home record dropped to 1-9 in league play for the season. Following the loss, coach Markell made his displeasure with his team’s effort clear, and the only question was whether or not his stinging comments would elicit a response from his team the following night.

Saturday’s rematch with the Falcons started much the same as the game had the previous evening with the Buckeyes playing fast-paced, spirited hockey from the opening faceoff. This night, however, the Buckeyes were able to put the puck into the net when Nick Biondo scored his second goal in as many nights at 4:33 of the first period, with assists to Todd Rudasill and Tom Fritsche. Even though the Buckeyes dominated play throughout the period, they skated off the ice with only a 1-1 tie as BG managed to score on one of their few really good scoring chances for the period on a goal by James Perkin at 9:37. But unlike the previous night, the goal did not slow the Buckeyes down, much to the delight of the boisterous crowd of 7,450.

Even after OSU goalie Joseph Palmer let a long range shot by Tomas Petruska elude him to give the Falcons a 2-1 lead at 3:19 of the second period, the Buckeyes showed the resilience and perseverance that has been sorely lacking for most of the season. They continued to press the action and their high level of play was rewarded when Tommy Goebel netted the equalizer at the 18:05 mark, with assists to John Albert and Todd Rudasill. For one of the few times this season, the Buckeyes left the ice after back to back solid periods of hockey, and the only remaining question was whether or not they could sustain the energy level for one more period.

The question was answered right from the start of the third period as the Buckeyes continued to skate hard and make plays. When Peter Boyd flipped a backhander into the BG net for the first of his two third period goals at 15:39, off of assists from Jason DeSantis and Sergio Somma, fans were witnessing a rare sight – the OSU hockey team playing three solid periods of hockey in the same game. Boyd’s second goal at 17:49, his seventh goal in this his freshman year, with an assist from Todd Rudasill, his third of the game, added an exclamation point to the evening’s festivities, and showed, in no uncertain terms, what these Buckeye hockey players are capable of when they put their minds to it. Now, with just a handful of games remaining in the season, can they keep it up for multiple games and make a late season push for a home ice birth in the league playoffs? Unfortunately, OSU will play all but one of its remaining games on the road, with the lone home game against NCAA #1 Miami Red Hawks on February 26th. Let’s hope that that game has some real meaning for the Buckeyes and they respond with an effort similar to the one they put forth Saturday night.

Popularity: 43% [?]

The Ohio State men’s hockey team continued its season-long trend of losing hockey games at home this weekend when they were swept by the defending national champion Michigan State Spartans 4-1 and 4-0. The freshman-dominated Buckeyes came out a step slow Friday night and quickly found themselves behind in the contest when the Spartans scored a power play goal just 2:06 into the game. The score stood 2-0 when former Spartan Tommie Gobel scored the Buckeyes only goal of the weekend. It was Gobel’s 12th goal of the season, which leads the team, with assists going to Jason DeSantis and Kyle Reed. Despite a season high crowd of 9,195, the Buckeyes only controlled the puck for brief periods of time, and when they did have opportunities to score, they could not manage to get the puck into the Spartans’ net, even when the net seemed to be open. Overall, the game primarily consisted of the Michigan State players cycling the puck in the Buckeyes’ zone, as the Buckeye players chased the Spartans for long stretches of time. It was an impressive performance for the Spartans, ranked 6/7th nationally, but a disappointing effort by the Buckeyes.

Those Buckeye fans sturdy enough to brave the freezing temperatures (a crowd of 6,780) Saturday night were rewarded in the first period with the best hockey the Buckeyes played on the weekend. Ohio State came out with a passionate and energetic game that kept Michigan State pinned in its own end for much of the first period. Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, the Spartans escaped the period with a 1-0 lead that set the tone for the home team’s futility on this night. Over the next two periods, the Buckeyes only matched their first period energy level occasionally, and their inability to get anything going offensively, especially on their power play chances (including a number of power play advantages without a single shot on goal), made it a relatively easy day at the office for the Spartans. To be fair, the Spartans goalie, Jeff Lerg, appeared to be at the top of his game, and the Spartans are a veteran bunch compared to the young Buckeyes. But turnovers, and missed opportunities to score, can only be attributed to inexperience for so long as the team moves into the later stages of their schedule. One has to wonder if the light will go on for enough of these kids in time to salvage something of the season, or if it’ll be another “Wait till next year” cry ringing in the ears of the Buckeye faithful.

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Former men’s hockey forward Rod Pelley, a letterwinner from 2003-06 and second team All-CCHA choice in 2005, is now a member of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils. Inside the CCHA, the league’s radio show, caught up with Pelley earlier this week. After earning a roster spot with the Devils coming out of training camp, Pelley has played in 44 games this season, posting five points.

Click here to listen to interview

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