Schilkey on ‘ home ice’ for last Big Ten tournament
Nick Schilkey knew even before the season began that the Big Ten men’s hockey tournament would include at least a bit of an emotional farewell.
The Ohio State senior forward grew up in Michigan as a Detroit Red Wings fan. This is the Red Wings’ last year at Joe Louis Arena, and the Big Ten tournament is one of its final big events.
“Obviously, the Joe was fun to go to and watch games,” Schilkey said Tuesday. “Certainly, I thought it was cool even before the year thinking about playing in one of the last games at the Joe.”
Schilkey, though, wants to make sure his college career doesn’t end there. The Buckeyes can assure themselves a spot in the NCAA Tournament with a strong performance starting on Thursday. But if the third-seeded Buckeyes don’t beat sixth-seeded Michigan State on Thursday, they could be on the outside looking in for the NCAA Tournament.
“It’s all about Thursday,” coach Steve Rohlik said. “One game at a time. You hear the cliché all the time, but it’s certainly no different for us. As long as we keep winning hockey games, the rest will take care of itself.”
The Buckeyes (2010-6) are ranked 13th nationally. Sixteen teams make the NCAA field, so Ohio State isn’t assured a spot.
But the Buckeyes have momentum. They won at Wisconsin 5-1 and 3-1 last weekend and have won six of their past eight.
“We’ve been talking about stringing together a full 60 minutes, and I think that was the closest,” Schilkey said. “We might have accomplished it this weekend. That’s a really good sign going into this weekend. If we play like that, we’re pretty confident we can beat anybody.”
Ohio State would face second-seeded Wisconsin in a semifinal Friday if it beats the Spartans. Michigan State is only 7-23-4, but one of those victories came March 3 against the Buckeyes. The Spartans took a 4-0 first-period lead and prevailed 5-4.
Ohio State is proficient offensively. The Buckeyes are third nationally in scoring, averaging 4.0 goals per game. Schilkey is tied for third in the country with 26 goals, and 15 have come on the Buckeyes’ potent power play.
Sophomore Mason Jobst is ninth in scoring with 51 points, including 33 assists. He was named first-team AllBig Ten, with Schilkey and fellow seniors Christian Frey and Josh Healey earning secondteam honors.
“It’s a lot of guys buying in and doing the right things,” Rohlik said. “It’s nice to see them getting recognized. But I think every one of All games Big Ten Network
No. 3 vs. No. 6 Michigan State, 4:30 p.m. No. 4 Penn State vs. No. 5 Michigan, 8 p.m. No. 2 Wisconsin vs. Michigan State, 4:30 p.m. No. 1 Minnesota vs. Penn State/Michigan, 8 p.m. Semifinal winners, 8 p.m. those guys would give those things back for a team award at the end.”
For that to happen, the Buckeyes have to take care of business at the Joe.
“We know our goals are still intact,” Schilkey said. “If we win a couple games, everything is still right there for us. We can’t think about Friday and Saturday. We have to focus on Thursday. There’s nothing past this Thursday if we don’t win. That’s the key right now.”