2018-2019 Ohio State Hockey! Return to the Show in Buffalo!

[klbaum1077]

Re: 2018-2019 Ohio State Hockey! Return to the Show in Buffalo!

Here are the magic numbers to eliminate each team after last night. The number drops by a combination of any points Ohio State gains plus any lost points (from a max of 3) that any of the other teams fails to secure.

Ohio State 38 (potential maximum points at season's end: 59)
Minnesota 27 (42) Magic# 5
Notre Dame 25 (46) Magic# 9
Michigan 27 (45) magic# 8
Sparty 24 (39) magic# 2
Wisconsin 22 (43) magic# 6
PSU 23 (44) magic# 7

Forgot about Penn State winning last night so they do need them to lose or tie to Clinch on Friday otherwise its going to be Saturday night with 3 more wins.

[Hockeybuckeye]

Re: 2018-2019 Ohio State Hockey! Return to the Show in Buffalo!

Forgot about Penn State winning last night so they do need them to lose or tie to Clinch on Friday otherwise its going to be Saturday night with 3 more wins.

Need Penn State to lose and stay out of pairwise. Can't have them win the B1G tourney either otherwise they automatically get Allentown as the host school. Even though we both were there last year it's not a given it would happen again. We want Allentown so Penn State has to go!

[klbaum1077]

Need Penn State to lose and stay out of pairwise. Can't have them win the B1G tourney either otherwise they automatically get Allentown as the host school. Even though we both were there last year it's not a given it would happen again. We want Allentown so Penn State has to go!

Yea the only way ohio state doesnt go to Allentown is if penn state is a 4 seed and ohio state is a 1 so let's hope penn state stays out

[Hockeybuckeye]

Re: 2018-2019 Ohio State Hockey! Return to the Show in Buffalo!

So isn't it about time we become a host school?
How about the Huntington Center, the Toledo Walleye's home ice? US Bank arena in Cinci is a dump.

[Hockeybuckeye]

Re: 2018-2019 Ohio State Hockey! Return to the Show in Buffalo!

Well we got the sweep. It's a shame O'Connell blew it at the end costing Tommy a well earned shutout! Oh well, freshmen! What are you going to do? You can't make experienced upperclassmen of them overnight.

[Hockeybuckeye]

Re: 2018-2019 Ohio State Hockey! Return to the Show in Buffalo!

Current Points Standings


1 Ohio State 41
2 Michigan 30
3 Minnesota 27
4 Penn State 26
5 Notre Dame 25
6 Michigan State 24
7 Wisconsin 22

[klbaum1077]

Re: 2018-2019 Ohio State Hockey! Return to the Show in Buffalo!

7 in a row and 2 wins from a title. They can Clinch on Friday with a win and a Loss by ND Loss by Michigan and a Penn State tie or loss. Michigan and ND play on Tuesday so we should get one of them to lose that game.

[pgb-ohio]

Re: 2018-2019 Ohio State Hockey! Return to the Show in Buffalo!

So isn't it about time we become a host school?

I hate to be a killjoy, but my honest answer is no. Beyond the small hardcore group, Buckeye Hockey fans aren't in the habit of traveling -- even within Ohio.

Columbus sites? The Schott is highly unlikely to considered, because it's on campus, and campus sites are politically disfavored. Nationwide would work for OSU fans. But if OSU failed to qualify, it's much too large for an NCAA Regional.

How about the Huntington Center, the Toledo Walleye's home ice?

Site of what must be the worst attended regional in NCAA hockey history. And there's a lot of competition for that "honor." No doubt the facility is nice, but the Toledo hockey community just said no.

Short version of a story I've posted before: Last time a regional was held in Toledo, I had planned to attend the Sunday championship game. For reasons I've long since forgotten, I wasn't able to travel to the Saturday semi-finals. But I did watch them on TV. It wasn't pretty. One section on the blue line had all of two fans in it. The rest of the arena wasn't much better. I was so demoralized I cancelled my trip.

The core problem was that there were no close by teams. Maybe Toledo got unusually unlucky. But no program or small group of programs can guarantee they'll be in the tournament every single year. A regional site has to be financially viable, regardless of the participating teams.

US Bank arena in Cinci is a dump.

That facility was subpar in 1996 when the FF was there. Gotta believe you're 100% right on this one.

Bigger Picture:

1. It appears that Big Ten Playoff games are well on the way to gaining acceptance in Columbus. One step at a time.

2. The next 3 Frozen Fours are all within reasonable driving distance of Columbus. We aren't getting a raw deal.

[pgb-ohio]

Re: 2018-2019 Ohio State Hockey! Return to the Show in Buffalo!

Well we got the sweep. It's a shame O'Connell blew it at the end costing Tommy a well earned shutout! Oh well, freshmen! What are you going to do? You can't make experienced upperclassmen of them overnight.

Agreed on all counts.

Even if the Badgers aren't winning as much as they'd like right now, it's always great to get a sweep in Madison!

[Hockeybuckeye]

Re: 2018-2019 Ohio State Hockey! Return to the Show in Buffalo!

I would counter by saying the times they are a changing. OSU hockey had a decent showing of fans at the Allentown regional last year and I was one of them and that's a 7 hour drive. Toledo as a regional would no doubt have a different outcome than the one you experienced. It could keep us from getting dumped in say the west regional where very few of our fans could make save for locals.
I would say if we were in a Toledo regional the university could easily bus a large number of students to make their presence known. The success of this program in the past several years demands more outreach by the university to give this team every possible advantage. I think it's reasonable to believe with OSU's support and continued success this will be a team that can be a perennial contender and can have nightly attendance in the 8000-10,000 range!

[Hockeybuckeye]

Re: 2018-2019 Ohio State Hockey! Return to the Show in Buffalo!

A regional site has to be financially viable, regardless of the participating teams.

I think we're all aware Ohio State University has more money than God and is quite capable of funding a regional profitable or not.
You have to invest in your team to continue success and now is the time while the tide is high!

[pgb-ohio]

Re: 2018-2019 Ohio State Hockey! Return to the Show in Buffalo!

I think we're all aware Ohio State University has more money than God and is quite capable of funding a regional profitable or not.
You have to invest in your team to continue success and now is the time while the tide is high!

I certainly agree with investing in the program. Just not in a hockey regional, as they exist under the current rules. It's a really complex problem. In the past, whole threads have been devoted to this topic. We're not going to be able to resolve it with a short exchange here.

I do need to clarify, though, that I'm not just talking about money. The problem is that if the Buckeyes are NOT in the field, the event could be an epic fail; a total embarrassment for the University. These days a large majority of fans will only attend games if they have a rooting interest. And my perception is that among younger fans this problem is growing more acute, not less.

Just as importantly, the problem I reference is not a one-time occurrence with Toledo. We've seen it over and over again at Midwestern sites. Fort Wayne, Grand Rapids... Playing some of the most important games of the season in empty arenas. Not surprisingly, most Midwestern venues now refuse to submit bids for the hockey regionals.

Those who cannot remember history are condemned to repeat it. In the context of a wonderfully successful season, it's understandable & tempting to believe that our regional could somehow be different. But wise decision-makers will remember the history, and take it into account.

[Eddie Schorr]

Re: 2018-2019 Ohio State Hockey! Return to the Show in Buffalo!

We should wrap this up this weekend.

Ohio State 41 (59) (potential maximum points at season's end: 59)
Michigan 30 (45) magic# 5
Minnesota 27 (39) Magic# ELIMINATED
Psu 26 (44) magic# 4
Notre Dame 25 (46) Magic# 6
Sparty 24 (36) magic# ELIMINATED
Wisconsin 22 (40) magic# ELIMINATED

[Hockeybuckeye]

Re: 2018-2019 Ohio State Hockey! Return to the Show in Buffalo!

Call me the optimist but I believe Coach Rohlik has put down some roots here (coaches DO think of their families once in awhile) and our program has after many decades of mediocrity and small spurts of success finally reached a high tier that will be sustainable from here forward. Will we always go to the FF? No, but we should from this point forward be respected in the college hockey world and always be in the discussion on potentially going far in the post season.

[Eddie Schorr]

Call me the optimist but I believe Coach Rohlik has put down some roots here (coaches DO think of their families once in awhile) and our program has after many decades of mediocrity and small spurts of success finally reached a high tier that will be sustainable from here forward. Will we always go to the FF? No, but we should from this point forward be respected in the college hockey world and always be in the discussion on potentially going far in the post season.

If it comes down to money, nobody can outbid us. Deapite not being a "hockey school," I don't see him leaving for anywhere other than Madison to be honest, and if we build him an arena, hopefully that'll be off the table.

Next year will be interesting. Regardless of how good recruiting is, we can't lose the level of talent we have and not expect something of a rebuilding year. I think a firm announcement of a new arena would do wonders to keep the program's momentum moving forward should we drop off a bit on the ice.