Raise your hand if you predicted at the start of the 2024-25 season that Ohio State would be playing for the Big Ten tournament championship this weekend.
If your hand’s up, you’re either a diehard Buckeye fan or someone whose familiarity with honesty is questionable.
Picked to finish last in the Big Ten preseason coaches’ poll, Ohio State advances to this week’s conference title game against Michigan State after beating Penn State 4-3 in semifinal action last Saturday.
The difference between where they were picked and where they are now isn’t lost on this Ohio State team or Buckeyes head coach Steve Rohlik.
“To be honest, when you play in the best league in the country, someone’s one and someone’s seven,” said Rohlik. “We never really talked about it as a team, but you know, guys see it … and we said the only thing that matters is what happens and what we believe in that room.
“All the credit to our guys. They just wanted to continue to get better. They just want to be players here and they really believe in our development process.”
In the win against Penn State, the Buckeyes’ best players combined at just the right time. After Matt DiMarsico scored late in the third period to tie the game for the Nittany Lions, Ohio State outshot Penn State 6-1 in overtime, with Gunnarwolfe Fontaine finding the back of the net from Riley Thompson and Davis Burnside – Ohio State’s top three scorers – at 14:31 in OT.
That goal, the 16th of the season for Fontaine, gives the Buckeyes the chance to play for the B1G conference title for the third time. Ohio State remains the only team in the league that has yet to capture that crown.
“One, I’m just proud of the guys that we have an opportunity,” said Rohlik. “Again, every week’s such a grind in our league.”
No one knows that better than Rohlik, whose Buckeyes needed three games to get past sixth-place Wisconsin in the quarterfinal round Mar. 7-9. “I say the toughest weekend of the year is that best two-out-of-three weekend in the Big Ten,” said Rohlik, “and if you can get through that, then all of a sudden, the next game – and what a game it was here.
“Now we’ve got a chance, but we’re playing the best team in the country, the No. 1 team in the country. They don’t have a lot of holes, but you know what? This is playoff hockey. We don’t have to beat them twice. We’ve just got to beat them once.”
Now Ohio State faces off in East Lansing against Michigan State, the top team in the USCHO.com Poll and the No. 2 team in the PairWise Rankings. The Spartans are now regular-season champions for the second consecutive season, and on top of that, Michigan State is the defending Big Ten playoff champ.
“Excited about our guys getting the opportunity to play another game at Munn,” said Michigan State coach Adam Nightingale. “In order to do that, you’ve got to win the regular season, which we did, and you’ve got to win another game, so now we have a chance to play another game in front of our home crowd.”
To earn that right, Michigan State won their semifinal game last weekend against a very determined Notre Dame team. The week prior to that – when the Spartans were enjoying a first-round playoff bye week – the Fighting Irish knocked off Minnesota on the road in three games to advance to the semifinal round.
Given that the Irish finished last in the conference and the Golden Gophers were co-regular season champs, Notre Dame came into Munn Arena and gave the Spartans all they could handle. After a scoreless two periods of play, Isaac Howard scored the only goal of the game on the Michigan State power play 19 seconds into the third period, assisted by Karsen Dorwart and Matt Basgall.
And just as it was for Ohio State against the Nittany Lions, the Spartans needed that their biggest scorers to step up in a very hard-fought game. That win is a lesson that can only help Michigan State in the remainder of the post-season, said Nightingale.
“Obviously, Munn was rocking and we were playing a team that was hot [and] playing some really good hockey, and I think our guys stayed with it,” said Nightingale.
“I think that’s the message to our guys. Playoff hockey’s hard. You can’t expect offense to be easy. We had to work for it. We stayed with it and I don’t think we deviated, and that’s a good reminder for us down the stretch in how we need to play.”
The Spartans enter Saturday’s championship game battle-tested in ways that the Buckeyes are not. In addition to their conference success of these two most recent seasons, Michigan State has won on some big stages. In December, the Spartans captured the Great Lakes Invitational tournament in Van Andel Arena, where the Grand Rapids (Mich.) Griffins of the AHL play, and in February, Michigan State won the annual Duel in the D, beating arch-rival Michigan in front of nearly 20,000 people in Little Caesars Arena, home of the Detroit Red Wings.
Even finishing on top of the conference standing demanded the Spartans play their best at crucial time. One week after tying and losing to Penn State at home, Michigan State traveled to South Bend for what were Notre Dame coach Jeff Jackson’s final home games, ever. Jackson announced his retirement at the start of the season, and as the last-place team in the conference, the Fighting Irish finished their season after that weekend on the road in the Big Ten playoffs.
The Spartans beat the Irish by a score of 5-2 each night of that series (Feb. 28-Mar. 1), each night in front of more than 5,000 hostile fans.
“To win the regular season this year,” said Nightingale, “we went on the road to Notre Dame and we needed some help, but we needed to win both hockey games and we got the job done.”
Here’s a look at how Ohio State and Michigan State compare, by the overall numbers.
Scoring offense: Ohio State, 3.18 (18th); Michigan State, 3.49 (eighth)
Scoring defense: Ohio State, 2.47 (18th); Michigan State, 2.00 (fourth)
Power play: Ohio State, 17.9% (43rd); Michigan State, 23.3% (17th)
Penalty kill: Ohio State, 77.9% (40th); Michigan State, 82.1% (20th)
Points leader: Ohio State, Gunnarwolfe Fontaine (16-23-39); Michigan State, Isaac Howard (24-23-47)
Top goal scorer: Ohio State, Riley Thompson (17); Michigan State, Isaac Howard (24)
Top goaltender: Ohio State, Logan Terness (2.25 GAA, .925 SV%); Michigan State, Trey Augustine (2.02 GAA, .927 SV%)
In addition to featuring the last two Big Ten teams standing, this series features a number of Big Ten postseason award winners.
Michigan State’s Isaac Howard is the conference player of the year and goaltender Trey Augustine is goaltender of the year. Howard is also one of the 10 Hobey Baker finalists, while Augustine is one of the four finalists for the Mike Richter Award.
“Both those guys have done a great job,” said Nightingale. “Trey’s obviously had a heck of season for us to win goaltender of the year, and then Ike player of the year, but I think with both those guys it goes back to what they really want – the root of it, why they do everything they do – is they want Michigan State to be great. They want Michigan State to win, and obviously they’re reaping the benefit of that with some individual accolades.”
Michigan State defenseman Matt Basgall was named to the conference first team as well.
No Ohio State players were recognized, but their coach earned coach-of-the-year honors. Rohlik credited everyone else around him for that accomplishment. “I’ve been very blessed to be around some really good coaches, a great support staff and some great players,” said Rohlik, “and they’ve all made me look good.”
As for any Ohio State players overlooked for year-end honors, Rohlik was philosophical about that, too.
“I think our team’s getting recognized because we’re playing in the Big Ten championship,” said Rohlik. “I think that’s the biggest thing I can say, and I think that every guy to a ‘T’ in there would give up any individual award to have a team award, and that’s why we go by team family and belief. That’s what we’re doing right now.”
There is no chance of Nightingale and the Spartans underestimating the Buckeyes, even though Michigan State took three of the four regular-season meetings between the programs, with the Spartans outscoring the Buckeyes 13-6 in those contests.
“I think Rohls does a great job,” said Nightingale. “Their staff does a great job, I think they play team hockey, they’re well coached, they’re organized and anyone can beat anyone in our conference.
“When you have a smaller number of teams in your conference and you look at the pedigree of the teams in our conference, there are no nights off.”
Like the Spartans, the Buckeyes know what they’re up against.
“We understand the animal we’re playing,” said Rohlik. “They’re well coached. Adam’s done an incredible job. But our guys have a belief … and all we have to do is win one game.
“It’s going to be a great atmosphere, playing in the Big Ten championship. What else can you ask for?”
Ohio State (24-12-2) faces off against Michigan State (25-6-4) at 7:30 p.m. at Munn Ice Arena. The game will televised by the Big Ten Network.
