Michigan Hockey: Ohio State Series Preview

This week marks 100 years of hockey at the University of Michigan. Luckily enough, for the 100 year anniversary, No. 6 Michigan hockey (12-7-1) has a series against its most-hated rival: the No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes (14-7-1).

The 8th-ranked ranked Buckeyes will be coming into Yost Ice Arena to face off against the 6th-ranked Michigan Wolverines. This is the first matchup between these two teams of the year, and it is going to be a hard-fought battle throughout both games. What can we expect from the Michigan hockey team this weekend?

Get to know Ohio State

This Ohio State team is not to be messed with, especially with the Buckeyes being ranked in the top ten. With a 14-7-1 overall record and a 7-5 conference record, they are one of the best teams in the Big Ten Conference. They rank No. 3 in the Big Ten, two spots ahead of the Wolverines. The Buckeyes are on a five-game win streak, and are certainly looking to extend it to seven games this weekend.

The Big Ten is a very strong conference in college hockey, with four of the seven teams being in the top ten and another in the top 20. No Big Ten matchup is an easy one, though Ohio State has managed key wins against No. 2 Minnesota and No. 5 Penn State.

This game isn’t just another rivalry game, it is even more special for two specific players.

Michigan sophomore forward Dylan Duke will be playing against his little brother Tyler Duke, a freshman defensemen for the Buckeyes. Last time they played against each other was last season for an exhibition game when Tyler played for the National Team Development program. Safe to say, this game means much more to both of them, especially because of the strong rivalry between the two teams.

What to expect from Michigan hockey 

Michigan needs to play a full 60 minutes of hockey to win this game. The Wolverines cannot press off the gas, especially if they get ahead of Ohio State early on.

Michigan needs to play physical, disciplined hockey seeing as Ohio State is a chippy team and will be playing very physical. Michigan must match that physicality but limit penalties at all costs. Going a man down against a team like Ohio State is risky and Michigan cannot be taking any chances.

With an extremely talented goalie in Jakub Dobes, Michigan has to take shots on goal and take advantage of any goal scoring opportunity they get. Whether it is a power play, a turnover in the offensive zone, or even a breakaway; any chance they get to put pressure on Dobes they must take it.

As for defense, they cannot rely solely on Erik Portillo. While Portillo is a great goaltender, he needs help from the defensemen and can’t do it all on his own. He will need his defensemen to defend the zone and avoid shots on goal. 

What’s Next?

Michigan’s first half of the season was good, not great. The Wolverines had a 12-7-1 overall record and are 4-6 in conference play; However, this team is turning the page onto 2023, and are ready to make another run for the Frozen Four.

We can’t forget though, this team has been very depleted at multiple points throughout the season. They had sickness spreading throughout the team during the Minnesota series, where they had some of their best players out. Plus, six players were out for World Juniors, so there have been many times where the roster was not at full strength. 

This Michigan team is incredibly young, with over half of the team being underclassmen. The team is full of talent, but with more experience and more time playing in college hockey, they will only improve from here.