Buckeyes clash with Wolverines for Big Ten glory. Can underdog Ohio State upset Michigan's dominant offense and snatch a title?
There is no rivalry like it in college sports. And in the Big Ten for hockey, it finds a way to elevate the competition even further, for a Big Ten title. Ohio State will make the three-hour trip up north to take on the Michigan Wolverines in the first-ever championship game affair between these two.
To start with Ohio State, this is more than a Big Ten title, as it can automatically qualify the Buckeyes for the NCAA tournament, a feat many did not see achievable just a few weeks ago for an anticlimactic Ohio State squadron.
The Buckeyes find themselves 60 minutes away from the Big Ten Championship, although they hold an overall record of 14-20-2 on the season. Their strength of schedule and recent performance has earned them a national ranking, at #19. Considering that and the NPI, there is no possible chance they can sneak into the NCAA tournament unless they win here on the road.
Ohio State seeks its first Big Ten title, after making it last year but falling in a thrilling double overtime win for Michigan State at Munn Ice Arena. All three title game appearances up to this point for OSU have all ended negatively in overtime.
Michigan has been nothing short of dominant, having swept all meetings against Ohio State and winning by a combined score of 13-3 in two games at Yost Ice Arena.
TJ Hughes was named Big Ten player of the year, and the offense doesn’t stop there. The nation’s best offense is well above the competition, averaging 4.5 goals per game. Quinnipiac holds the second-best at 4.13 goals per game, to put into reference how historic this Michigan offense is.
It definitely helps when you have a top three consisting of Hughes, Michael Hage, and Will Horcoff. Hage leads this Michigan team in postseason points with five over two games. The three in total have combined for 136 points up to this frame.
Netminder Jack Ivankovic has been sharp, especially in the tournament, a 0.943 save percentage against Notre Dame and Penn State.
PREDICTION
Not a lot of things favor Ohio State, although it would be a perfect time to find that first win against Michigan here. I just don’t see it happening. This Michigan team is endlessly hungry, even if they have the top seed in the NCAA tournament on lock. It’ll be a fight, just not a Buckeye victory, as Michigan will win their fourth Big Ten tournament title, Michigan 5, Ohio State 3