Men’s hockey voted best non-football sport at Ohio State

Nick Clarkson
Thu, 30 Mar 2017 03:50:13 +0000
Ice Hockey, Men's hockey, Sports, Best of OSU, christian frey, David Gust, Drew brevig, Josh Healey, Kevin Miller, Logan Davis, Mason Jobst, Matt Tomkins, Nick Schilkey, Ohio State hockey, Tanner Laczynski

Ohio State players celebrate after a goal by junior forward Kevin Miller. Credit: Nick Clarkson | Lantern reporter

The Ohio State men’s hockey team (21-12-6) had a breakout season in 2016-17. Recording a 20-win season for the first time since 2009, the Buckeyes earned their first NCAA tournament bid since that same season — losing to Minnesota-Duluth in overtime in the first round of the West region.

Despite the opening-round exit, the Scarlet and Gray ended 2016-17 as the third-ranked offense in the nation at 3.92 goals per game, and the nation’s No. 1 power-play offense efficiency, with a 31.61 success rate.

Leading the charge for OSU this season was sophomore forward Mason Jobst, who led the Buckeyes with 55 points (19 goals, 36 assists), and senior forward and captain Nick Schilkey. Schilkey ended the season with 41 points (27 goals, 14 assists).

Outside of the NCAA appearance, the highlight of the season came during the last series of the regular season with Wisconsin. Both teams entered the matchup needing impressive showings in order to secure a possible tournament bid, and the Buckeyes swept the Badgers heading into the Big Ten tournament to reach 20 wins for the first time in eight years.

Along with Schilkey, forward David Gust, defensemen Drew Brevig and Josh Healey and goaltenders Christian Frey, Matt Tomkins and Logan Davis make up the Scarlet and Gray graduating seniors. The class of 2017 recorded 67 victories over four seasons, while also racking up a number of awards for their performance on and off the ice.

Despite losing a core group of players, OSU will look to build on this year’s successes in 2017-18. The team will return seven of its top 10 scorers from this season, including sophomore forward Dakota Joshua and freshman forward Tanner Laczynski, along with a handful of young but experienced blueliners, such as sophomore defender Tommy Parran.