‘It’s do or die’: OSU returns to the NCAA Tournament
Ohio State men’s hockey is back in the NCAA Tournament. And Tate Singleton doesn’t know what to expect.
Only two players on the Buckeyes’ roster do: forwards Kamil Sadlocha and Gustaf Westlund, who experienced Ohio State’s last regional semifinal loss to Denver 2019.
Ahead of Ohio State’s regional semifinal matchup with Harvard on Friday, Singleton, a senior forward, peppered Sadlocha and Westlund with questions. What does it take? How do you win?
“They said there are definitely nerves that go into it,” Singleton said. “I mean, it’s do or die, right? If you win, you keep going. If you lose, you go home. They just said ‘Live in the moment, play your game and have fun.’ “
Steve Rohlik knows what a successful tournament run looks like.
This will be the fourth NCAA Tournament for the Ohio State coach, and he led the Buckeyes to a Frozen Four appearance in 2018. In program history, the Buckeyes have been to the tournament nine times with two Frozen Four appearances.
But after three seasons without a tournament run, Rohlik said the Buckeyes were hungry for a return. And while Big Ten play has prepared his team for the NCAA Tournament stage, he calls it a “whole new level.”
“Everything changes a little bit. But you’ve got to embrace it,” Rohlik said. “And I think if you talk to the guys, it’s about us. It’s about our preparation and if we do the things we need to do throughout the week, I think guys should feel com-*
fortable about stepping on the ice (this) weekend.”
During this season, Ohio State saw its fair share of NCAA Tournament teams, earning seven wins in 16 matchups against Minnesota, Penn State and Michigan.
Against top opponents, the Buckeyes have generated the best penalty kill in the country, posting a 89.5% success rate in killing opponent’s power plays along with a top-17 scoring offense (3.21 goals per game), scoring defense (2.53 goals allowed per game) and power play (.224) nationally.
To Rohlik, this is Ohio State’s brand of hockey, a “structured” unit that likes to “play downhill. He thinks this attitude will translate heading into the tournament no matter the opponent.
Harvard has three players with at least 20 goals and a defense that allows 2.07 goals per game.
“If you look at our division, it’s one of the best in the country,” Singleton said. “We play these types of teams all the time. So it’s definitely exciting because
we know we can beat them.”
Mason Lohrei still feels a different level of pressure.
The Ohio State sophomore forward calls the Buckeyes’ upcoming matchup against Harvard the biggest game of his life. But to Lohrei, that mindset is what makes playoff hockey fun.
“We’re worried about us,” Lohrei said. “We know what we can bring to the table, and that’s what we plan to do.”
The NCAA Tournament is a stage Ohio State goalkeeper Jakub Dobes has been waiting for.
“I think there is a lot of disrespect to Ohio State,” Dobes said. “A lot of teams think we are just a football school. A lot of people think we are just a football school, basketball school. I feel like we have a moment to show what we are all about and just show the world what we are.”
Ohio State will open its 2023 NCAA Tournament against Harvard on Friday at 2 p.m. in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on ESPNU.