Ohio State at Maryland, 2/11/17, 4:00 ET, ESPN
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Do you suppose his short-lived coaching career reflects that?
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Google The Buckeyes win again, top Detroit Mercy 14-8 - OSU - The Lantern
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The Buckeyes win again, top Detroit Mercy 14-8 - OSU - The Lantern
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The Buckeyes win again, top Detroit Mercy 14-8
OSU - The Lantern
The Buckeyes' offense slowed down after Detroit Mercy junior midfielder Sean Birney scored late in the first quarter to put the game at 6-4. The Titans outmatched OSU's physicality, which allowed them to tie the game midway through the second quarter ...
Ohio State men's lacrosse scores 14-8 win over Detroit MercyLand-Grant Holy Land
Ohio State's Championship Contenders for the Spring 2017 SeasonEleven Warriors
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via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
The Buckeyes win again, top Detroit Mercy 14-8
OSU - The Lantern
The Buckeyes' offense slowed down after Detroit Mercy junior midfielder Sean Birney scored late in the first quarter to put the game at 6-4. The Titans outmatched OSU's physicality, which allowed them to tie the game midway through the second quarter ...
Ohio State men's lacrosse scores 14-8 win over Detroit MercyLand-Grant Holy Land
Ohio State's Championship Contenders for the Spring 2017 SeasonEleven Warriors
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LGHL Ohio State men’s lacrosse scores 14-8 win over Detroit Mercy
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Ohio State men’s lacrosse scores 14-8 win over Detroit Mercy
Meredith Hein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
All Ohio State does is beat Michigan.
The 17th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes men’s lacrosse team continued its early season success with a decisive 14-8 win over the Detroit Mercy Titans Saturday in Columbus.
Ohio State started scoring quickly on a goal by sophomore attackman Lukas Buckley just 39 seconds into the game--his second goal of the young season--despite losing the opening faceoff. Detroit Mercy, however, answered less than two minutes later to tie the game early. Senior midfielder John Kelly added to the Buckeyes’ total with 10:53 left in the first quarter, which was followed up with by another score from Buckley midway through the quarter. Then, two quick, man-up goals by freshman midfielder Tre Leclaire and senior midfielder Johnny Pearson, both of which were assisted by junior attackman Colin Chell, put the Buckeyes up by a score of 5-1 late in the first quarter. However, just as Ohio State built on its comfortable lead, the Titans came back with two goals in 1:06 of game time to close the gap to two points. Though the Buckeyes would add another score on another Leclaire goal, Detroit Mercy scored in the final four seconds of the first to close the quarter down 6-4.
The next quarter did not start much better, as Detroit Mercy held Ohio State scoreless for nearly the first 12 minutes of the second. The Titans scored 1:32 into play, then again midway through the quarter to tie the game at six-all, obliterating the once-cozy lead. But the tied score acted as a wakeup call to the Buckeyes, and timely goals by Pearson, senior midfielder Tyler Pfister and senior attackman Eric Fannell closed the half with the Buckeyes up three.
Ohio State opened up the third quarter continuing on their scoring run. Kelly found the back of the net to open the half and put the Buckeyes up four. Then, two goals less than a minute apart by Chell in a man-up situation and Pfister opened up the Buckeyes’ lead. Ohio State’s defense also came to life, holding the Titans scoreless in the half until the 2:07 mark in the third and giving the Buckeyes a 12-7 advantage heading into the final quarter.
The Buckeyes controlled the ball for much of the fourth quarter, though Detroit Mercy led in overall shots on goal by an 8-7 margin. Ohio State added to their lead midway through the quarter on Buckley’s third goal of the game, assisted by Fannell. Sophomore attackman Jack Jasinski finished the Buckeyes’ scoring with 1:48 remaining in the game and, though Ohio State allowed a quick goal by the Titans to close the game, the Buckeyes finished with a strong, six-point win.
While Ohio State was able to control the ball for much of the game, faceoffs remained a question. Senior specialist Jake Withers, who split faceoffs with freshman specialist Christian Feliziani last week, was just 9-for-22 on faceoffs (Feliziani went 1-for-3 in limited time), including going 1-for-10 in the first quarter. Still, Withers picked up three groundballs on the day, becoming just the second player in program history to record 200 career groundballs. Ohio State had an overall 31-23 advantage in groundballs on the day.
Buckley led the Buckeyes in scoring with three goals on the day, while Pearson, Pfister, Leclaire and Kelly each added two. Shots on goal were 25-14 in favor of Ohio State, with senior goalie Tom Carey recording six saves on the day.
After the Titans closed the gap in the second quarter, Ohio State outscored Detroit Mercy 5-2 in the second half. Head coach Nick Myers commented, “I like the physicality we played with today, and the fact we were able to settle into the game in the third quarter.”
Detroit Mercy now falls to 0-1 on the season, and faces Michigan later this week. Ohio State, meanwhile, moves to 2-0 on the season and faces Massachusetts Saturday in Columbus.
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Meredith Hein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
All Ohio State does is beat Michigan.
The 17th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes men’s lacrosse team continued its early season success with a decisive 14-8 win over the Detroit Mercy Titans Saturday in Columbus.
Ohio State started scoring quickly on a goal by sophomore attackman Lukas Buckley just 39 seconds into the game--his second goal of the young season--despite losing the opening faceoff. Detroit Mercy, however, answered less than two minutes later to tie the game early. Senior midfielder John Kelly added to the Buckeyes’ total with 10:53 left in the first quarter, which was followed up with by another score from Buckley midway through the quarter. Then, two quick, man-up goals by freshman midfielder Tre Leclaire and senior midfielder Johnny Pearson, both of which were assisted by junior attackman Colin Chell, put the Buckeyes up by a score of 5-1 late in the first quarter. However, just as Ohio State built on its comfortable lead, the Titans came back with two goals in 1:06 of game time to close the gap to two points. Though the Buckeyes would add another score on another Leclaire goal, Detroit Mercy scored in the final four seconds of the first to close the quarter down 6-4.
The next quarter did not start much better, as Detroit Mercy held Ohio State scoreless for nearly the first 12 minutes of the second. The Titans scored 1:32 into play, then again midway through the quarter to tie the game at six-all, obliterating the once-cozy lead. But the tied score acted as a wakeup call to the Buckeyes, and timely goals by Pearson, senior midfielder Tyler Pfister and senior attackman Eric Fannell closed the half with the Buckeyes up three.
Ohio State opened up the third quarter continuing on their scoring run. Kelly found the back of the net to open the half and put the Buckeyes up four. Then, two goals less than a minute apart by Chell in a man-up situation and Pfister opened up the Buckeyes’ lead. Ohio State’s defense also came to life, holding the Titans scoreless in the half until the 2:07 mark in the third and giving the Buckeyes a 12-7 advantage heading into the final quarter.
The Buckeyes controlled the ball for much of the fourth quarter, though Detroit Mercy led in overall shots on goal by an 8-7 margin. Ohio State added to their lead midway through the quarter on Buckley’s third goal of the game, assisted by Fannell. Sophomore attackman Jack Jasinski finished the Buckeyes’ scoring with 1:48 remaining in the game and, though Ohio State allowed a quick goal by the Titans to close the game, the Buckeyes finished with a strong, six-point win.
While Ohio State was able to control the ball for much of the game, faceoffs remained a question. Senior specialist Jake Withers, who split faceoffs with freshman specialist Christian Feliziani last week, was just 9-for-22 on faceoffs (Feliziani went 1-for-3 in limited time), including going 1-for-10 in the first quarter. Still, Withers picked up three groundballs on the day, becoming just the second player in program history to record 200 career groundballs. Ohio State had an overall 31-23 advantage in groundballs on the day.
Buckley led the Buckeyes in scoring with three goals on the day, while Pearson, Pfister, Leclaire and Kelly each added two. Shots on goal were 25-14 in favor of Ohio State, with senior goalie Tom Carey recording six saves on the day.
After the Titans closed the gap in the second quarter, Ohio State outscored Detroit Mercy 5-2 in the second half. Head coach Nick Myers commented, “I like the physicality we played with today, and the fact we were able to settle into the game in the third quarter.”
Detroit Mercy now falls to 0-1 on the season, and faces Michigan later this week. Ohio State, meanwhile, moves to 2-0 on the season and faces Massachusetts Saturday in Columbus.
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BTN Ohio State program flies high: BTN LiveBIG
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Ohio State program flies high: BTN LiveBIG
BTN.com LiveBIG Staff via Big Ten Network
From the birthplace of aviation comes its future.
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BTN.com LiveBIG Staff via Big Ten Network
From the birthplace of aviation comes its future.
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LGHL No. 12/13 Ohio State blows lead twice and loses to No. 5/4 Minnesota, 6-5
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No. 12/13 Ohio State blows lead twice and loses to No. 5/4 Minnesota, 6-5
Matt Torino via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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The Buckeyes had 3-0 and 5-4 leads and couldn’t hold on to complete the sweep
On a night where over 1,000 stuffed animals were thrown onto the ice for the team’s annual Teddy Bear toss, Ohio State tossed away two leads of their own and fell to Minnesota by a score of 6-5.
No. 12/13 Ohio State got out to a 3-0 lead and eventually held a 5-4 lead over No. 5/4 Minnesota, but couldn’t finish them off and fell in regulation, 6-5. Matt Tomkins got the start in net for Ohio State and only saved 14 out of 17 shots for a .824 save percentage. Christian Frey came in to relieve him and allowed three more as Ohio State just fell apart.
Eric Schierhorn only saved 17 out of 22 shots on goal from Ohio State for Minnesota, but when the other team’s goaltending is even worse, you can get away with one. But on nights where you score five goals against a top five team, it’s hard to let those slip away even if the goalies just had a bad night.
Things did start off fantastically for Ohio State for the first twenty five minutes. Matt Miller scored his first career collegiate goal to put OSU up 1-0 on a shot from the point. Joshua Healey and Tanner Laczynski had the assists on the powerplay goal.
Ohio State wasn’t being dominated, being outshot only 7-5, and came out of the period with the lead. A win-win. They were holding the Golden Gophers in check and gaining a lead to go with it. The second would keep that train going.
Mason Jobst scored from the slot to extend his point streak to 14 games, on a feed from Sasha Larocque just 1:34 into the second. Dakota Joshua added a goal to make it 3-0 in favor of OSU just four minutes later, at 5:32, with Gordi Myer gaining the lone helper.
Everything was coming up aces for Ohio State. Minnesota then said enough of this.
Vinni Lettieri scored just 46 seconds after Joshua made it 3-0. Just 6:13 after that, Brent Gates made it 3-2. Suddenly this was getting dicey. Nick Schilkey gained a little breathing room back with his 22nd of the year. It initially looked like Joshua deflected it but the goal was credited to Schilkey. His .92 goals per game ranks first in all of Division I hockey.
Justin Kloos would chase Tomkins with the next goal, at 16:58 and send Ohio State into panic mode. Suddenly it was 4-3 and OSU couldn’t trust their goalie. Not the ideal spot to be in against the No. 5/4 team in the country. But keeping out goals hasn’t exactly been Ohio State’s strong suit this year.
Just 1:42 into Frey’s reign in net, Minnesota tied it. Tyler Sheehy, with Kloos continuing to torment OSU with the primary assist, scored at 18:40 and the game went into the second intermission tied at two apiece. That was not where OSU thought this game was going 15 minutes prior. Whoops!
Going against the narrative of a team falling apart, however, Dakota Joshua put Ohio State back on top at 8:24 of the third, with his second of the game. Luke Stork had the primary assist and all looked like it might turn out well for the Buckeyes.
It didn’t.
Ohio State wouldn’t score again, and Stork would go from hero to goat as he was sent off for a five minute major for checking from behind at 11:00 of the third.
Exactly three minutes apart during the ensuing major powerplay, at 12:34 and 15:34, Lettieri and Jake “former WWE Raw GM Eric” Bischoff tied it and got Minnesota their first lead, respectively. Frey hadn’t shored up anything in net and in fact pulled whatever finger was plugging the dam.
But Ohio State couldn’t find another goal in those last four plus minutes even after the powerplay ended.
Hilariously, they couldn’t even generate a single registered shot on goal after falling behind, even with the goalie pulled. They had attempts blocked or missed, but none actually on goal. Call me crazy, but that’s not a formula to beat Rutgers’ club team, much less Minnesota.
The team has to be able to attack more and they should be able to with offensive weapons like Schilkey, David Gust, Laczynski and Jobst. But they either can’t or are coached not to and that isn’t going to get you too far in the postseason, whether the Big Ten or NCAA tournament.
The Buckeyes will look to solve their attacking and goaltending woes at Michigan State this upcoming Friday and Saturday. At they probably won’t score enough to make both goalies look this poorly. Probably.
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Matt Torino via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
The Buckeyes had 3-0 and 5-4 leads and couldn’t hold on to complete the sweep
On a night where over 1,000 stuffed animals were thrown onto the ice for the team’s annual Teddy Bear toss, Ohio State tossed away two leads of their own and fell to Minnesota by a score of 6-5.
No. 12/13 Ohio State got out to a 3-0 lead and eventually held a 5-4 lead over No. 5/4 Minnesota, but couldn’t finish them off and fell in regulation, 6-5. Matt Tomkins got the start in net for Ohio State and only saved 14 out of 17 shots for a .824 save percentage. Christian Frey came in to relieve him and allowed three more as Ohio State just fell apart.
Eric Schierhorn only saved 17 out of 22 shots on goal from Ohio State for Minnesota, but when the other team’s goaltending is even worse, you can get away with one. But on nights where you score five goals against a top five team, it’s hard to let those slip away even if the goalies just had a bad night.
Things did start off fantastically for Ohio State for the first twenty five minutes. Matt Miller scored his first career collegiate goal to put OSU up 1-0 on a shot from the point. Joshua Healey and Tanner Laczynski had the assists on the powerplay goal.
Ohio State wasn’t being dominated, being outshot only 7-5, and came out of the period with the lead. A win-win. They were holding the Golden Gophers in check and gaining a lead to go with it. The second would keep that train going.
Mason Jobst scored from the slot to extend his point streak to 14 games, on a feed from Sasha Larocque just 1:34 into the second. Dakota Joshua added a goal to make it 3-0 in favor of OSU just four minutes later, at 5:32, with Gordi Myer gaining the lone helper.
Everything was coming up aces for Ohio State. Minnesota then said enough of this.
Vinni Lettieri scored just 46 seconds after Joshua made it 3-0. Just 6:13 after that, Brent Gates made it 3-2. Suddenly this was getting dicey. Nick Schilkey gained a little breathing room back with his 22nd of the year. It initially looked like Joshua deflected it but the goal was credited to Schilkey. His .92 goals per game ranks first in all of Division I hockey.
Justin Kloos would chase Tomkins with the next goal, at 16:58 and send Ohio State into panic mode. Suddenly it was 4-3 and OSU couldn’t trust their goalie. Not the ideal spot to be in against the No. 5/4 team in the country. But keeping out goals hasn’t exactly been Ohio State’s strong suit this year.
Just 1:42 into Frey’s reign in net, Minnesota tied it. Tyler Sheehy, with Kloos continuing to torment OSU with the primary assist, scored at 18:40 and the game went into the second intermission tied at two apiece. That was not where OSU thought this game was going 15 minutes prior. Whoops!
Going against the narrative of a team falling apart, however, Dakota Joshua put Ohio State back on top at 8:24 of the third, with his second of the game. Luke Stork had the primary assist and all looked like it might turn out well for the Buckeyes.
It didn’t.
Ohio State wouldn’t score again, and Stork would go from hero to goat as he was sent off for a five minute major for checking from behind at 11:00 of the third.
Exactly three minutes apart during the ensuing major powerplay, at 12:34 and 15:34, Lettieri and Jake “former WWE Raw GM Eric” Bischoff tied it and got Minnesota their first lead, respectively. Frey hadn’t shored up anything in net and in fact pulled whatever finger was plugging the dam.
But Ohio State couldn’t find another goal in those last four plus minutes even after the powerplay ended.
Hilariously, they couldn’t even generate a single registered shot on goal after falling behind, even with the goalie pulled. They had attempts blocked or missed, but none actually on goal. Call me crazy, but that’s not a formula to beat Rutgers’ club team, much less Minnesota.
The team has to be able to attack more and they should be able to with offensive weapons like Schilkey, David Gust, Laczynski and Jobst. But they either can’t or are coached not to and that isn’t going to get you too far in the postseason, whether the Big Ten or NCAA tournament.
The Buckeyes will look to solve their attacking and goaltending woes at Michigan State this upcoming Friday and Saturday. At they probably won’t score enough to make both goalies look this poorly. Probably.
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Google Cowgirls Edged by Buckeyes in ITA Indoor Quarterfinals - Oklahoma State Athletics
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Cowgirls Edged by Buckeyes in ITA Indoor Quarterfinals - Oklahoma State Athletics
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Cowgirls Edged by Buckeyes in ITA Indoor Quarterfinals
Oklahoma State Athletics
The Buckeyes responded as top-ranked Francesca Di Lorenzo stifled a second-set push from No. 10 Viktoriya Lushkova in the top singles spot, dropping the Cowgirl, 6-3, 7-5. On line three, 68th-ranked Gaby DeSantis of Ohio State defeated Vladica Babic ...
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Cowgirls Edged by Buckeyes in ITA Indoor Quarterfinals
Oklahoma State Athletics
The Buckeyes responded as top-ranked Francesca Di Lorenzo stifled a second-set push from No. 10 Viktoriya Lushkova in the top singles spot, dropping the Cowgirl, 6-3, 7-5. On line three, 68th-ranked Gaby DeSantis of Ohio State defeated Vladica Babic ...
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Google Shorthanded Buckeyes show some heart in road loss at Maryland - ABC6OnYourSide.com
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Shorthanded Buckeyes show some heart in road loss at Maryland - ABC6OnYourSide.com
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Shorthanded Buckeyes show some heart in road loss at Maryland
ABC6OnYourSide.com
Marc Loving led the Buckeyes (15-11, 5-8) with 24 points and Jae-Sean Tate had 20. It was only the 10th time in 13 seasons under coach Thad Matta that Ohio State has been swept in the regular season by a Big Ten foe. The short-handed Buckeyes were ...
Depleted Buckeyes fight hard but fall at Maryland 86-77247Sports
Buckeyes Can't Surmount A Comeback And Lose To No. 21 TerrapinsScout
Ohio State vs. Maryland 2017 final score: Terrapins knock off Buckeyes 86-77Land-Grant Holy Land
Akron Beacon Journal -Landof10.com -cleveland.com
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Shorthanded Buckeyes show some heart in road loss at Maryland
ABC6OnYourSide.com
Marc Loving led the Buckeyes (15-11, 5-8) with 24 points and Jae-Sean Tate had 20. It was only the 10th time in 13 seasons under coach Thad Matta that Ohio State has been swept in the regular season by a Big Ten foe. The short-handed Buckeyes were ...
Depleted Buckeyes fight hard but fall at Maryland 86-77247Sports
Buckeyes Can't Surmount A Comeback And Lose To No. 21 TerrapinsScout
Ohio State vs. Maryland 2017 final score: Terrapins knock off Buckeyes 86-77Land-Grant Holy Land
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Google A whopping 7 former Ohio State Buckeyes on NFL.com's All-Rookie Team - Landof10.com
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A whopping 7 former Ohio State Buckeyes on NFL.com's All-Rookie Team - Landof10.com
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A whopping 7 former Ohio State Buckeyes on NFL.com's All-Rookie Team
Landof10.com
First, ESPN called it the most productive NFL Draft class in league history. And now, NFL.com's Gil Brandt has placed seven former Buckeyes on his 2017 All-Rookie Team, by far the most of any school. In fact, it makes up more than a quarter of the 27 ...
Six Buckeyes make 2016 NFL All-Rookie team247Sports
Six Members of Ohio State's 2016 Draft Class Make NFL.Com All-Rookie TeamEleven Warriors
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A whopping 7 former Ohio State Buckeyes on NFL.com's All-Rookie Team
Landof10.com
First, ESPN called it the most productive NFL Draft class in league history. And now, NFL.com's Gil Brandt has placed seven former Buckeyes on his 2017 All-Rookie Team, by far the most of any school. In fact, it makes up more than a quarter of the 27 ...
Six Buckeyes make 2016 NFL All-Rookie team247Sports
Six Members of Ohio State's 2016 Draft Class Make NFL.Com All-Rookie TeamEleven Warriors
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Google Country's No. 1 OLB Palaie Gaoteote has one definite school - 247Sports
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Country's No. 1 OLB Palaie Gaoteote has one definite school - 247Sports
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Country's No. 1 OLB Palaie Gaoteote has one definite school
247Sports
His hustle plays and ability to find a way to score have helped define what head coach Thad Matta wants from the Buckeyes. What's next for the Buckeyes? Make sure you're in the loop -- take five seconds to sign up for our FREE Buckeyes newsletter now!
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via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Country's No. 1 OLB Palaie Gaoteote has one definite school
247Sports
His hustle plays and ability to find a way to score have helped define what head coach Thad Matta wants from the Buckeyes. What's next for the Buckeyes? Make sure you're in the loop -- take five seconds to sign up for our FREE Buckeyes newsletter now!
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Google Brendon White is keeping it in the family with the Buckeyes - 247Sports
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Brendon White is keeping it in the family with the Buckeyes - 247Sports
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Brendon White is keeping it in the family with the Buckeyes
247Sports
Unlike many in his class, he grew up a Buckeye, watching his favorite team from just down the road. Knowing from nearly birth that he wanted to one day wear the scarlet and gray, White made sure to do what was necessary to make that dream come true.
An LSU commit wants to hear from Ohio State, Buckeyes continue full-court press on Joshua MooreLandof10.com
Buckeyes Outscore GophersGopher Puck Live
Minnesota Hockey: Gophers Look for Revenge Against BuckeyesThe Daily Gopher
cleveland.com -OSU - The Lantern -Scarlet and Game
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Brendon White is keeping it in the family with the Buckeyes
247Sports
Unlike many in his class, he grew up a Buckeye, watching his favorite team from just down the road. Knowing from nearly birth that he wanted to one day wear the scarlet and gray, White made sure to do what was necessary to make that dream come true.
An LSU commit wants to hear from Ohio State, Buckeyes continue full-court press on Joshua MooreLandof10.com
Buckeyes Outscore GophersGopher Puck Live
Minnesota Hockey: Gophers Look for Revenge Against BuckeyesThe Daily Gopher
cleveland.com -OSU - The Lantern -Scarlet and Game
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Google Buckeyes Can't Surmount A Comeback And Lose To No. 21 Terrapins - Scout
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Buckeyes Can't Surmount A Comeback And Lose To No. 21 Terrapins - Scout
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Buckeyes Can't Surmount A Comeback And Lose To No. 21 Terrapins
Scout
With Ohio State being shorthanded for its game at Maryland, the Buckeyes' bench was outscored by the Terrapins' reserves, 33-0, in an 86-77 loss at College Park, Md. on Saturday afternoon. Jaylen Brantley, who was averaging 5.0 points per game before ...
Depleted Buckeyes fight hard but fall at Maryland 86-77247Sports
Ohio State vs. Maryland 2017 final score: Terrapins knock off Buckeyes 86-77Land-Grant Holy Land
No. 21 Maryland beats Ohio State 86-77 to end 2-game skidWashington Post
Landof10.com -cleveland.com -Columbus Dispatch
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Buckeyes Can't Surmount A Comeback And Lose To No. 21 Terrapins
Scout
With Ohio State being shorthanded for its game at Maryland, the Buckeyes' bench was outscored by the Terrapins' reserves, 33-0, in an 86-77 loss at College Park, Md. on Saturday afternoon. Jaylen Brantley, who was averaging 5.0 points per game before ...
Depleted Buckeyes fight hard but fall at Maryland 86-77247Sports
Ohio State vs. Maryland 2017 final score: Terrapins knock off Buckeyes 86-77Land-Grant Holy Land
No. 21 Maryland beats Ohio State 86-77 to end 2-game skidWashington Post
Landof10.com -cleveland.com -Columbus Dispatch
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Google Depleted Buckeyes fight hard but fall at Maryland 86-77 - 247Sports
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Depleted Buckeyes fight hard but fall at Maryland 86-77 - 247Sports
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Depleted Buckeyes fight hard but fall at Maryland 86-77
247Sports
The Terrapins completed a season sweep of the Buckeyes with an 86-77 win before 17,950 at the Xfinity Center in College Park Saturday night. Ohio State (15-11, 5-8) played the game without sophomore point guard JaQuan Lyle, who was at home in ...
Ohio State basketball vs. No. 21 Maryland: Game time, TV channel and how to watch onlineLandof10.com
Ohio State basketball falls to No. 21 Maryland 86-77 in possible bubble-bursting losscleveland.com
No. 21 Maryland beats Ohio State 86-77 to end 2-game skidBluefield Daily Telegraph
Eleven Warriors -TheSpread.com
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Depleted Buckeyes fight hard but fall at Maryland 86-77
247Sports
The Terrapins completed a season sweep of the Buckeyes with an 86-77 win before 17,950 at the Xfinity Center in College Park Saturday night. Ohio State (15-11, 5-8) played the game without sophomore point guard JaQuan Lyle, who was at home in ...
Ohio State basketball vs. No. 21 Maryland: Game time, TV channel and how to watch onlineLandof10.com
Ohio State basketball falls to No. 21 Maryland 86-77 in possible bubble-bursting losscleveland.com
No. 21 Maryland beats Ohio State 86-77 to end 2-game skidBluefield Daily Telegraph
Eleven Warriors -TheSpread.com
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LGHL Ohio State vs. Maryland 2017 final score: Terrapins knock off Buckeyes 86-77
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Ohio State vs. Maryland 2017 final score: Terrapins knock off Buckeyes 86-77
Harry Lyles Jr. via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
The Buckeyes stuck around, but just couldn’t take that big leap.
The Buckeyes went on the road in a tough environment, but couldn’t do enough to knock off Maryland in an 86-77 loss.
Ohio State played this one without JaQuan Lyle, who was tending to a family emergency. The Buckeyes came out with some great effort early, with Trevor Thompson battling up to three Terps at one time. Although he wasn’t able to finish some put backs, the Bucks looked motivated in College Park, but Maryland still opened up the game 9-0.
Ohio State’s first points came at the 15:19 mark when Marc Loving knocked down a pair of free throws to make it a 9-2 game. Maryland had some good looks from the perimeter that didn’t fall, which could have made this one get out of hand a lot sooner than it should have. But thanks to buckets by Loving and C.J. Jackson, Ohio State trimmed the lead to 9-6.
The Buckeyes were sticking around, but eventually Maryland got a little bit of separation thanks to some points off of turnovers. The Terrapin lead hovered around 9-12 points for a great portion of the first half, but the lack of depth for Ohio State started to show. The Buckeyes looked like they were running out of gas, and near the end of the first half, Ohio State was down 40-24.
The Terps would take a 45-31 lead into the half. Maryland had 20 bench points in the half, against Ohio State’s zero.
Ohio State looked recharged coming out of the locker room for the second half. Trevor Thompson gave the Buckeyes a couple of quick baskets, but Maryland wouldn’t let Ohio State get too close early. Thad Matta decided to apply a little more pressure in the backcourt on defense, and it made things more difficult for Maryland. The Terps led 52-42 at the under-16 timeout.
A bucket by Kam Williams, followed by a Maryland miss and Marc Loving three put the Buckeyes down 54-47, and the Terrapins crowd was as quiet as it had been all afternoon. It looked at times in the first half we might be in for a blowout quickly, but the shorthanded Buckeyes did a good job of staying in it early in the first half.
Jae’Sean Tate stepped up as the half progressed, but Maryland continued to fend off the Buckeyes. It wasn’t pretty by any means, but they were alive. The Buckeyes were down 72-64 with six minutes in the game. Just when it appeared Ohio State might make a late surge, Trevor Thompson fouled out (on an extremely questionable call) with five and a half minutes left.
Ohio State couldn’t put a final dent into the Maryland lead, which became even more difficult after Micah Potter fouled out shortly after Thompson. The already shorthanded Bucks were down two big men.
Marc Loving got hot late, and after a pair of three pointers, Ohio State was down 77-72 in the final few minutes of the game. Maryland and Ohio State traded threes afterward, and a great defensive stop by Wesson gave the Buckeyes another shot to trim the lead. Loving missed a three on the ensuing possession, and a Maryland three sealed the deal.
Marc Loving finished with a season-high 24 points. Trevor Thompson had 11 points and 10 rebounds for Ohio State, while Jae’Sean Tate contributed 20.
3 things we learned:
1. JaQuan Lyle’s absence hurt. The sophomore point guard missed Saturday’s game dealing with a family emergency. Up against a Maryland team that’s one of the better teams in the Big Ten, any lack of depth by the Buckeyes was going to hurt. It’s even worse against a Maryland team with a guard like Melo Trimble. At the end of the first half, the Buckeyes had no points off the bench.
Ohio State managed to stick around in the second half, and started shooting the ball better. Maryland wasn’t in the same offensive flow that they were in the latter part of the first half, and that combined with more defensive pressure from the Buckeyes helped keep things within reach. Lyle, like the rest of the team can be on or off on any given night, but there’s no question that just having him as an option helps greatly.
2. Trevor Thompson and Marc Loving couldn’t do it alone. Loving kept the Buckeyes in the game early, and Thompson showed some dang good effort throughout the game. It was tough for him with the Maryland bigs, who seemed to swarm him as soon as he laid his hands on the ball. Loving and Thompson combined for 16 of the Buckeyes’ 31 points in the first half, and towards the end of the half, they seemed gassed.
Jae’Sean Tate stepped up in the second half, after shooting 2-for-8 in the first half. Thompson came out strong with a quick pair of baskets in the second half to help narrow the Terps lead, but it was impossible to sustain the effort. Maryland was playing at a quick pace, and while Tate’s improved play in the second half was helpful, it wasn’t enough and too late.
3. You gotta share the rock. The Buckeyes didn’t do great of assisting on scores Saturday afternoon. Part of that undoubtedly has to do with the absence of Lyle, but the ball movement wasn’t spectacular, and there was a lot of solo work on the offensive end. We’ve seen the offense get stagnant during the season, and it was clear that today was a case of that.
The distribution was slightly better in the second half, but it’s difficult for the Buckeyes to just flip the switch and make things happen. It’s pretty much the same brand of basketball we’ve been watching the past couple of seasons. Loving got hot late, which really eliminated any needed ball movement, but it’s obviously better to have it than not at all.
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Harry Lyles Jr. via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
The Buckeyes stuck around, but just couldn’t take that big leap.
The Buckeyes went on the road in a tough environment, but couldn’t do enough to knock off Maryland in an 86-77 loss.
Ohio State played this one without JaQuan Lyle, who was tending to a family emergency. The Buckeyes came out with some great effort early, with Trevor Thompson battling up to three Terps at one time. Although he wasn’t able to finish some put backs, the Bucks looked motivated in College Park, but Maryland still opened up the game 9-0.
Ohio State’s first points came at the 15:19 mark when Marc Loving knocked down a pair of free throws to make it a 9-2 game. Maryland had some good looks from the perimeter that didn’t fall, which could have made this one get out of hand a lot sooner than it should have. But thanks to buckets by Loving and C.J. Jackson, Ohio State trimmed the lead to 9-6.
The Buckeyes were sticking around, but eventually Maryland got a little bit of separation thanks to some points off of turnovers. The Terrapin lead hovered around 9-12 points for a great portion of the first half, but the lack of depth for Ohio State started to show. The Buckeyes looked like they were running out of gas, and near the end of the first half, Ohio State was down 40-24.
The Terps would take a 45-31 lead into the half. Maryland had 20 bench points in the half, against Ohio State’s zero.
Ohio State looked recharged coming out of the locker room for the second half. Trevor Thompson gave the Buckeyes a couple of quick baskets, but Maryland wouldn’t let Ohio State get too close early. Thad Matta decided to apply a little more pressure in the backcourt on defense, and it made things more difficult for Maryland. The Terps led 52-42 at the under-16 timeout.
A bucket by Kam Williams, followed by a Maryland miss and Marc Loving three put the Buckeyes down 54-47, and the Terrapins crowd was as quiet as it had been all afternoon. It looked at times in the first half we might be in for a blowout quickly, but the shorthanded Buckeyes did a good job of staying in it early in the first half.
Jae’Sean Tate stepped up as the half progressed, but Maryland continued to fend off the Buckeyes. It wasn’t pretty by any means, but they were alive. The Buckeyes were down 72-64 with six minutes in the game. Just when it appeared Ohio State might make a late surge, Trevor Thompson fouled out (on an extremely questionable call) with five and a half minutes left.
Ohio State couldn’t put a final dent into the Maryland lead, which became even more difficult after Micah Potter fouled out shortly after Thompson. The already shorthanded Bucks were down two big men.
Marc Loving got hot late, and after a pair of three pointers, Ohio State was down 77-72 in the final few minutes of the game. Maryland and Ohio State traded threes afterward, and a great defensive stop by Wesson gave the Buckeyes another shot to trim the lead. Loving missed a three on the ensuing possession, and a Maryland three sealed the deal.
Marc Loving finished with a season-high 24 points. Trevor Thompson had 11 points and 10 rebounds for Ohio State, while Jae’Sean Tate contributed 20.
3 things we learned:
1. JaQuan Lyle’s absence hurt. The sophomore point guard missed Saturday’s game dealing with a family emergency. Up against a Maryland team that’s one of the better teams in the Big Ten, any lack of depth by the Buckeyes was going to hurt. It’s even worse against a Maryland team with a guard like Melo Trimble. At the end of the first half, the Buckeyes had no points off the bench.
Ohio State managed to stick around in the second half, and started shooting the ball better. Maryland wasn’t in the same offensive flow that they were in the latter part of the first half, and that combined with more defensive pressure from the Buckeyes helped keep things within reach. Lyle, like the rest of the team can be on or off on any given night, but there’s no question that just having him as an option helps greatly.
2. Trevor Thompson and Marc Loving couldn’t do it alone. Loving kept the Buckeyes in the game early, and Thompson showed some dang good effort throughout the game. It was tough for him with the Maryland bigs, who seemed to swarm him as soon as he laid his hands on the ball. Loving and Thompson combined for 16 of the Buckeyes’ 31 points in the first half, and towards the end of the half, they seemed gassed.
Jae’Sean Tate stepped up in the second half, after shooting 2-for-8 in the first half. Thompson came out strong with a quick pair of baskets in the second half to help narrow the Terps lead, but it was impossible to sustain the effort. Maryland was playing at a quick pace, and while Tate’s improved play in the second half was helpful, it wasn’t enough and too late.
3. You gotta share the rock. The Buckeyes didn’t do great of assisting on scores Saturday afternoon. Part of that undoubtedly has to do with the absence of Lyle, but the ball movement wasn’t spectacular, and there was a lot of solo work on the offensive end. We’ve seen the offense get stagnant during the season, and it was clear that today was a case of that.
The distribution was slightly better in the second half, but it’s difficult for the Buckeyes to just flip the switch and make things happen. It’s pretty much the same brand of basketball we’ve been watching the past couple of seasons. Loving got hot late, which really eliminated any needed ball movement, but it’s obviously better to have it than not at all.
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BTN Freshman duo helps Maryland take down Ohio State, 86-77
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Freshman duo helps Maryland take down Ohio State, 86-77
Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor via Big Ten Network
Anthony Cowan scored 19 points, fellow freshman Kevin Huerter added 18 and No. 21 Maryland beat Ohio State 86-77 on Saturday to end its first losing streak of the season.
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Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor via Big Ten Network
Anthony Cowan scored 19 points, fellow freshman Kevin Huerter added 18 and No. 21 Maryland beat Ohio State 86-77 on Saturday to end its first losing streak of the season.
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tBBC Andrew Hammond Waived Again
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Andrew Hammond Waived Again
T6S via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
ANAHEIM, CA – DECEMBER 11: Andrew Hammond #30 of the Ottawa Senators splashes water on his face during the third period of a game against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on December 11, 2016 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
In a move that could signal that his career with the Ottawa Senators is over, Andrew Hammond was waived by the team before today’s noon deadline to make room for the returning Craig Anderson.
If Hammond goes unclaimed, he’ll be returned to Binghamton where he’ll congest their goaltending picture and take playing time away from prospects who the Senators need to evaluate and make decisions on in Chris Driedger and Matt O’Connor. (Read: both goalies are restricted free agents this summer.)
It is not the situation anyone envisioned when the Senators inked Hammond to a three-year contract extension after Hammond improbably led the Senators on their storybook run to the playoffs in 2015, but here we are.
It’s the second time this season that Hammond has been placed on waivers this season and thanks to two injuries this season, one which necessitated the trade to bring in his successor, Mike Condon, Hammond has not struggled to regain his job, he has failed to demonstrate to other teams around the league that he warrants a pick-up.
It hasn’t helped that Hammond’s value has taken a hit from limited viewings this season.
I’ve mentioned this before, but the Senators in front of Hammond this year compared to in front of any other goalie is like night and day. pic.twitter.com/o9m2xHc8vv
— Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) January 22, 2017
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
And, for completeness, his “shot support” relative to the same for other goalies: pic.twitter.com/EB2iF4c7EM
— Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) January 22, 2017
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
As the visuals demonstrate, Hammond’s been at a serious disadvantage this season when it comes to the kinds of shots that Hammond has had to face. Thanks to the volatility that small sample sizes offer, coupled Hammond’s poor results, decision on his future may not necessarily be the most-informed one.
Of course, it’s not like Hammond’s track record and numbers aren’t skewed in the other direction because of his historical run during the 2014-15 season when he posted a 20-1-2 record, a 1.79 goals against average and a .941 save percentage in 24 appearances.
Even if you believe Hammond’s recent performances are more representative of his true-talent because of his AHL history, it’s hard to take those numbers too seriously either given the shittacular nature of Binghamton’s rosters these past few seasons.
Hammond’s NHL numbers normalized during the 2015-16 season, but there was enough in his performance and underlying numbers to believe that he could be a competent NHL backup.
Maybe things would be different if Hammond did not have a year left on his contract or if this current coaching staff was part of the Senators’ magical 2015 run, but every remnant from the Dave Cameron’s staff has been turfed. Any loyalty to Hammond is left to the presence of management, but it appears as though they’re more than willing to move on.
They just have to figure out how to shed Hammond’s contract.
Fortunately it’s just a short-term problem and relatively inexpensive problem to solve, but unlike other teams that would be able to paper over the mistake, the Senators have to have to wring out the talent out with each dollar they spend. Even if Hammond’s $1.35-million real-dollar salary isn’t that burdensome, it’s money that the Senators aren’t able to spend to address another weakness on the roster.
Reports from Bruce Garrioch suggest that the Senators have kicked tires on an extension with Condon’s representatives, but considering Condon’s waning performance and the team’s ongoing Hammond problem, maybe Hammond’s extension will be a lesson in giving term to a backup goaltender.
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T6S via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
ANAHEIM, CA – DECEMBER 11: Andrew Hammond #30 of the Ottawa Senators splashes water on his face during the third period of a game against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on December 11, 2016 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
In a move that could signal that his career with the Ottawa Senators is over, Andrew Hammond was waived by the team before today’s noon deadline to make room for the returning Craig Anderson.
If Hammond goes unclaimed, he’ll be returned to Binghamton where he’ll congest their goaltending picture and take playing time away from prospects who the Senators need to evaluate and make decisions on in Chris Driedger and Matt O’Connor. (Read: both goalies are restricted free agents this summer.)
It is not the situation anyone envisioned when the Senators inked Hammond to a three-year contract extension after Hammond improbably led the Senators on their storybook run to the playoffs in 2015, but here we are.
It’s the second time this season that Hammond has been placed on waivers this season and thanks to two injuries this season, one which necessitated the trade to bring in his successor, Mike Condon, Hammond has not struggled to regain his job, he has failed to demonstrate to other teams around the league that he warrants a pick-up.
It hasn’t helped that Hammond’s value has taken a hit from limited viewings this season.
I’ve mentioned this before, but the Senators in front of Hammond this year compared to in front of any other goalie is like night and day. pic.twitter.com/o9m2xHc8vv
— Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) January 22, 2017
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
And, for completeness, his “shot support” relative to the same for other goalies: pic.twitter.com/EB2iF4c7EM
— Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) January 22, 2017
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
As the visuals demonstrate, Hammond’s been at a serious disadvantage this season when it comes to the kinds of shots that Hammond has had to face. Thanks to the volatility that small sample sizes offer, coupled Hammond’s poor results, decision on his future may not necessarily be the most-informed one.
Of course, it’s not like Hammond’s track record and numbers aren’t skewed in the other direction because of his historical run during the 2014-15 season when he posted a 20-1-2 record, a 1.79 goals against average and a .941 save percentage in 24 appearances.
Even if you believe Hammond’s recent performances are more representative of his true-talent because of his AHL history, it’s hard to take those numbers too seriously either given the shittacular nature of Binghamton’s rosters these past few seasons.
Hammond’s NHL numbers normalized during the 2015-16 season, but there was enough in his performance and underlying numbers to believe that he could be a competent NHL backup.
Maybe things would be different if Hammond did not have a year left on his contract or if this current coaching staff was part of the Senators’ magical 2015 run, but every remnant from the Dave Cameron’s staff has been turfed. Any loyalty to Hammond is left to the presence of management, but it appears as though they’re more than willing to move on.
They just have to figure out how to shed Hammond’s contract.
Fortunately it’s just a short-term problem and relatively inexpensive problem to solve, but unlike other teams that would be able to paper over the mistake, the Senators have to have to wring out the talent out with each dollar they spend. Even if Hammond’s $1.35-million real-dollar salary isn’t that burdensome, it’s money that the Senators aren’t able to spend to address another weakness on the roster.
Reports from Bruce Garrioch suggest that the Senators have kicked tires on an extension with Condon’s representatives, but considering Condon’s waning performance and the team’s ongoing Hammond problem, maybe Hammond’s extension will be a lesson in giving term to a backup goaltender.
Continue reading...
Google Cowgirls Edged by Buckeyes in ITA Indoor Quarterfinals - Oklahoma State Athletics
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Cowgirls Edged by Buckeyes in ITA Indoor Quarterfinals - Oklahoma State Athletics
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Cowgirls Edged by Buckeyes in ITA Indoor Quarterfinals
Oklahoma State Athletics
The Buckeyes responded as top-ranked Francesca Di Lorenzo stifled a second-set push from No. 10 Viktoriya Lushkova in the top singles spot, dropping the Cowgirl, 6-3, 7-5. On line three, 68th-ranked Gaby DeSantis of Ohio State defeated Vladica Babic ...
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via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Cowgirls Edged by Buckeyes in ITA Indoor Quarterfinals
Oklahoma State Athletics
The Buckeyes responded as top-ranked Francesca Di Lorenzo stifled a second-set push from No. 10 Viktoriya Lushkova in the top singles spot, dropping the Cowgirl, 6-3, 7-5. On line three, 68th-ranked Gaby DeSantis of Ohio State defeated Vladica Babic ...
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Google Buckeyes Joey Lane pays tribute to teammates' siblings - 247Sports
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Buckeyes Joey Lane pays tribute to teammates' siblings - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Buckeyes Joey Lane pays tribute to teammates' siblings
247Sports
Not only do the Buckeyes have to deal with playing on the road against one of the country's top-25 teams, but they're doing so under adverse conditions. On Friday, head coach Thad Matta announced that JaQuan Lyle's sister was dealing with complications ...
Ohio State will be without JaQuan Lyle, Keita Bates-Diop due to family emergenciesLand-Grant Holy Land
Two Ohio State Players Won't Travel To Team's Saturday GameBT Powerhouse (blog)
'It's Been A Rough 24 Hours For Our Program': Two Ohio State Players Dealing With Family Emergencies As Team ...Eleven Warriors
cleveland.com -Baltimore Sun -Scout
all 19 news articles »
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via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Buckeyes Joey Lane pays tribute to teammates' siblings
247Sports
Not only do the Buckeyes have to deal with playing on the road against one of the country's top-25 teams, but they're doing so under adverse conditions. On Friday, head coach Thad Matta announced that JaQuan Lyle's sister was dealing with complications ...
Ohio State will be without JaQuan Lyle, Keita Bates-Diop due to family emergenciesLand-Grant Holy Land
Two Ohio State Players Won't Travel To Team's Saturday GameBT Powerhouse (blog)
'It's Been A Rough 24 Hours For Our Program': Two Ohio State Players Dealing With Family Emergencies As Team ...Eleven Warriors
cleveland.com -Baltimore Sun -Scout
all 19 news articles »
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LGHL No. 12/13 Ohio State hockey comes back to defeat No. 5/4 Minnesota, 5-4
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No. 12/13 Ohio State hockey comes back to defeat No. 5/4 Minnesota, 5-4
Matt Torino via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
The Buckeyes scored two third period goals to take down the Gophers.
Just when you think Ohio State is coming back down to earth after struggling with Michigan, they go and beat the No. 5/4 team in the country. No. 12/13 Ohio State hockey found a way to take down No. 5/4 Minnesota on Friday night in Columbus with the help of two third period goals and a solid performance from Matt Tomkins in net.
With the win, the Buckeyes get back to .500 in conference play and are now 14-7-6 overall, while Minnesota falls to 8-3 in Big Ten play and 17-8-2 overall. This was a big win for OSU and showed they could take down anyone in conference, if their Penn State split in January didn’t already prove that.
In the first period, shots were 10-10, but it was all Buckeyes on the scoreboard. At 7:58, super freshman Tanner Laczynski found Matthew Weis at the far post, where he stuffed it in for his eighth of the year.
At 16:55, Nick Schilkey may have scored the OSU goal of the year. Carrying the puck into the offensive zone, he completely froze and spun around a Minnesota defender before going around him and going top shelf on Golden Gopher goalie Eric Schierhorn. His 21st came from Mason Jobst, extending his point streak to 13, and Sasha Larocque.
The second period, on the other hand, would be nearly all Minnesota. Brent Gates cut the lead in half just 46 seconds into the second, on the powerplay, with his 13th of the year. Rem Pitlick tied it at 4:09 on a breakaway and Vinni Lettieri gave Minnesota their first lead of the game at 10:15.
OSU did have one shining moment in the second, as they apparently didn’t like falling behind. Kevin Miller scored his sixth of the year just 49 seconds after Lettieri put Minnesota up for the first time. Brendon Kearney fed Miller in the middle of the offensive zone, and he used a defender to screen Schierhorn and tie the game. Josh Healey had the secondary assist, his 15th of the year.
Minnesota dominated in the second when they needed to and outshot the Puckeyes 14-9. Ohio State has had trouble attacking when up this season, but it’s hard to fault them when they’re playing the No. 5/4 team and they were up by multiple goals, at least in terms of giving up opportunities. Falling behind when up multiple goals, however, is not ideal.
The third period would have the pendulum swing back in favor of Ohio State, as they’d once again score two goals just as in the first. Jobst scored his 13th of the year just 3:47 in, on the powerplay. Schilkey fed him at the right faceoff circle on the man advantage and he just blasted it into Schierhorn and it found its way into the net. Dakota Joshua looked like he deflected it, but it was already in the net by the time his stick found it. Jobst received the credit for the goal ultimately and David Gust had the secondary assist.
Either way, the Buckeyes were back on top. The game would stay at 4-3 in favor of OSU for the next ten plus minutes, before Tanner Laczynski gave Ohio State a two goal cushion they would need in the end. At 4-on-4, Weis fed Larocque, who carried it across the blue line. He essentially ran a pick play with the defenders, feeding Laczynski as he went in the opposite direction, giving him enough room in the slot to fire in what would turn out to be the game winning goal.
Minnesota got one back exactly three minutes later, as Justin Kloos scored his 13th of the year, but that would be all that the Gophers would get. They had the man advantage from pulling Schierhorn and looked to keep that advantage to tie the game, before a penalty by Leon Bristedt for charging at 18:34 ended that advantage and most of the Minnesota hopes for tying the game up.
They kept the empty net to keep it even strength and forced two shots on Tomkins, but he kept them out and OSU held on for the 5-4 victory.
The two teams will skate again on Saturday night at 8pm in Columbus. The Buckeyes will look to gain the sweep over one of the traditional conference titans and gain ground on them in the Big Ten standings.
Continue reading...
Matt Torino via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
The Buckeyes scored two third period goals to take down the Gophers.
Just when you think Ohio State is coming back down to earth after struggling with Michigan, they go and beat the No. 5/4 team in the country. No. 12/13 Ohio State hockey found a way to take down No. 5/4 Minnesota on Friday night in Columbus with the help of two third period goals and a solid performance from Matt Tomkins in net.
With the win, the Buckeyes get back to .500 in conference play and are now 14-7-6 overall, while Minnesota falls to 8-3 in Big Ten play and 17-8-2 overall. This was a big win for OSU and showed they could take down anyone in conference, if their Penn State split in January didn’t already prove that.
In the first period, shots were 10-10, but it was all Buckeyes on the scoreboard. At 7:58, super freshman Tanner Laczynski found Matthew Weis at the far post, where he stuffed it in for his eighth of the year.
At 16:55, Nick Schilkey may have scored the OSU goal of the year. Carrying the puck into the offensive zone, he completely froze and spun around a Minnesota defender before going around him and going top shelf on Golden Gopher goalie Eric Schierhorn. His 21st came from Mason Jobst, extending his point streak to 13, and Sasha Larocque.
The second period, on the other hand, would be nearly all Minnesota. Brent Gates cut the lead in half just 46 seconds into the second, on the powerplay, with his 13th of the year. Rem Pitlick tied it at 4:09 on a breakaway and Vinni Lettieri gave Minnesota their first lead of the game at 10:15.
OSU did have one shining moment in the second, as they apparently didn’t like falling behind. Kevin Miller scored his sixth of the year just 49 seconds after Lettieri put Minnesota up for the first time. Brendon Kearney fed Miller in the middle of the offensive zone, and he used a defender to screen Schierhorn and tie the game. Josh Healey had the secondary assist, his 15th of the year.
Minnesota dominated in the second when they needed to and outshot the Puckeyes 14-9. Ohio State has had trouble attacking when up this season, but it’s hard to fault them when they’re playing the No. 5/4 team and they were up by multiple goals, at least in terms of giving up opportunities. Falling behind when up multiple goals, however, is not ideal.
The third period would have the pendulum swing back in favor of Ohio State, as they’d once again score two goals just as in the first. Jobst scored his 13th of the year just 3:47 in, on the powerplay. Schilkey fed him at the right faceoff circle on the man advantage and he just blasted it into Schierhorn and it found its way into the net. Dakota Joshua looked like he deflected it, but it was already in the net by the time his stick found it. Jobst received the credit for the goal ultimately and David Gust had the secondary assist.
Either way, the Buckeyes were back on top. The game would stay at 4-3 in favor of OSU for the next ten plus minutes, before Tanner Laczynski gave Ohio State a two goal cushion they would need in the end. At 4-on-4, Weis fed Larocque, who carried it across the blue line. He essentially ran a pick play with the defenders, feeding Laczynski as he went in the opposite direction, giving him enough room in the slot to fire in what would turn out to be the game winning goal.
Minnesota got one back exactly three minutes later, as Justin Kloos scored his 13th of the year, but that would be all that the Gophers would get. They had the man advantage from pulling Schierhorn and looked to keep that advantage to tie the game, before a penalty by Leon Bristedt for charging at 18:34 ended that advantage and most of the Minnesota hopes for tying the game up.
They kept the empty net to keep it even strength and forced two shots on Tomkins, but he kept them out and OSU held on for the 5-4 victory.
The two teams will skate again on Saturday night at 8pm in Columbus. The Buckeyes will look to gain the sweep over one of the traditional conference titans and gain ground on them in the Big Ten standings.
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Google Ohio State hockey: Buckeyes rally to beat No. 5 Minnesota - Columbus Dispatch
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Ohio State hockey: Buckeyes rally to beat No. 5 Minnesota - Columbus Dispatch
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Ohio State hockey: Buckeyes rally to beat No. 5 Minnesota
Columbus Dispatch
Jobst, Nick Schilkey, Tanner Laczynski and Matthew Weis each had a goal and an assist for the Buckeyes (14-7-6, 5-5-1-1), who had taken a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Weis and Schilkey. Minnesota (17-8-2, 8-3) stormed back in the second ...
An LSU commit wants to hear from Ohio State, Buckeyes continue full-court press on Joshua MooreLandof10.com
Serious talent planning to visit Buckeyes in coming weeks247Sports
Buckeyes Outscore GophersGopher Puck Live
The Daily Gopher -OSU - The Lantern -cleveland.com
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via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Ohio State hockey: Buckeyes rally to beat No. 5 Minnesota
Columbus Dispatch
Jobst, Nick Schilkey, Tanner Laczynski and Matthew Weis each had a goal and an assist for the Buckeyes (14-7-6, 5-5-1-1), who had taken a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Weis and Schilkey. Minnesota (17-8-2, 8-3) stormed back in the second ...
An LSU commit wants to hear from Ohio State, Buckeyes continue full-court press on Joshua MooreLandof10.com
Serious talent planning to visit Buckeyes in coming weeks247Sports
Buckeyes Outscore GophersGopher Puck Live
The Daily Gopher -OSU - The Lantern -cleveland.com
all 134 news articles »
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tBBC Ton Anselmi Speaks: Outdoor Game, LeBreton Flats, More Resources for Dorion
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Ton Anselmi Speaks: Outdoor Game, LeBreton Flats, More Resources for Dorion
T6S via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
You know Tom Anselmi’s hit the big time when he’s getting the MS Paint red phone treatment on this blog.
The Senators’ new president and COO appeared Thursday morning on TSN 1200’s ‘TGOR’ to talk about his first week on the job.
Anselmi’s fresh to the job, so inevitably there was going a lot of non-answers, corporate spin and pumping of tires, but beyond the vanilla politician’esque takes, there were a few interesting nuggets of information being dropped throughout the interview.
To listen to the full thing, you can scroll to the bottom of this post for the embedded audio.
As always, my thoughts are in bold.
On how it’s going for the last two weeks…
“You know what, it’s terrific. I had a big staff meeting with everyone yesterday and I think it’s been day seven or day eight. When I first met with everyone two weeks ago, I said, ‘I’m really excited to be here,’ and that kind of thing. I told them yesterday now that I’ve been able to sort of absorb things for a couple of weeks, I’m more excited than ever. I really, really appreciate the opportunity and think the future is so, so bright here. It’s a great hockey town. We all know that. We’ve got a heck of a hockey club. (We’re) in second-place and a playoff run about to get going here, but the future, new arenas and just the upside that this brand has and this community has, it’s pretty exciting to be here.”
It’s no surprise that the new guy, who’s a week into his Senators career, is trying to sell his enthusiasm or championing how good his hockey team is to its fans. Considering their place in the standings, the organization has to be disappointing with how their attendance has suffered.
The attendance problem has been well-documented and there are a myriad of reasons why it is down, but it feels like the one that isn’t being given enough credit is how Senators fans, or at least the ones that I know, question this team’s philosophy and direction under its owner. Melnyk malaise feels real and maybe for the first time since he purchased the team in 2003, Senators fans are no longer buying what he’s selling because their confidence in his ability to deliver a Stanley Cup contender is shaken.
On getting the call from Eugene Melnyk and the initial thought on working with him…
“Well, my first reaction when I got the call was, ‘Leave me alone, I’m going snowmobiling,’ and then I stopped and thought about it for a second. Eugene and I had met once or twice at boardmeetings and stuff like that, but did not know him at all. And we went and met, so really we’ve got to know each other over the past month and a half. The first couple sit downs, we were seeing the opportunity the same way. We were seeing the potential the same way. That combined with Ottawa, the community of Ottawa really intrigued me: the capital of our country; the nation’s capital; the cradle of hockey where the game was first played; the 150th anniversary; the fact that it’s right between these two juggernauts of French Canadian hockey and English Canadian hockey in the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs. I really love the potential of that, so that’s really what intrigued me and it’s been great. I think all owners are different. All owners get into this business for different reasons. I’ve worked for institutional owners, big companies like Bell and Rogers, teachers and the like. I’ve worked for private entrepreneurial owners like Eugene and the like. And I actually really enjoy this. They’re passionate about the team. They love what this is about. They love hockey. That’s why they’re in this, so it’s fun and the job is to help them realize their vision and their dream and that’s a pretty interesting opportunity and something you don’t take for granted. I mean, there’s 31 of these jobs out there and it’s a real honour when you’re asked to do, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Hopefully a few years from now, we won’t have to look back and say, “Shit, I really wish he went snowmobiling.”
The one aspect of the Melnyk/Anselmi relationship that I find quite interesting is that they’re both Toronto guys, but they don’t know each other very well.
In consideration of the rumours suggesting that Cyril Leeder did an excellent job putting out Melnyk’s fires, I wonder how well-suited Anselmi is for the job if he is required to do the same.
On whether the LeBreton Flats project makes this job more attractive and whether he would look at this opportunity the same if the project did not exist…
“You know, it makes it interesting and different. I would have taken the job anyways. I’m pretty sure I would have. I really got turned on by the whole idea of Canada, the 150th anniversary, Ottawa and the nation’s capital and the brand potential because of that – where it can sit in sort of the world of hockey brands out there. So I really got turned on by the brand opportunity. The (LeBreton Flats) project just makes it even better. This project is going to be a world-class project. It’s going to transform this community. It’s going to transform the franchise and it’s going to be a game-changer in every way. So that’s pretty cool too and it creates all kinds of opportunity for the organization. It just makes the club a bigger and more important franchise. You know, we’ve got a great building here. We’ve got a great hockey club. It’s a great experience. It’s a little further out of town than most people would like, we all get that, but you know what, it’s still a terrific product. I am a believer in the downtown thing. Like I really believe hockey clubs are more than just a business or entertainment product, they are part of the DNA of a community. They are part of the… it’s because of that they should be geographically central as well as philosophically central. So this is going to be great and hopefully it’s four or five years away, but in the meantime, let’s get a playoff run going and have some fun.”
Hmmm, I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but I don’t know if it’s smart to get fans dreaming on the possibilities and awesomeness of a downtown arena when you still have to get these same fans to enthusiastically drive once or twice a week to Kanata to take in a game.
On the frustrations of fans that this organization has not been able to cut through or convert the Maple Leaf and Habs fans who exist in the nation’s capital…
“Well, I don’t know enough about it yet to know sort of where we do sit. Listen, one of things that I told our staff the first day I met them, I had the opportunity of watching this from the other end of the 401 for a lot of years and I was custodian of a lot of great sports brands, and I think what’s important is not being preoccupied with what you aren’t. It’s all about what you are. You know this franchise has been here 25 years, so we’ve seen a generation click over. I get that there’s lots of Leafs fans here and lots of Habs fans there and there’s this generational thing where parents pass (fan allegiances) on to kids. It’s great, no problem. Our job is to make sure that there’s a product here and an experience here that their kids or that next generation rally around and off we go. It’s the same thing in Calgary and Edmonton, there’s Leaf and Habs fans across the country. So be it, that’s okay. There’s lots of hockey fans in this country and only 20,000 seats. At the end of the day, Ottawa and this community, they’re going to rally around their own team first long-term. We saw it when we launched the Raptors. We were doing all kinds of stuff to build a fan base. Well here we are 20-something years later and those fans that were six years old and sort of getting used to us are now 26-years old, they’re buying tickets and passing it onto their kids. So, that’s what it’s about. Do we need to be the most important hockey club in this market? Absolutely. Are we there? I don’t know that yet, but absolutely, we need to be what this community is focused on and that will be a lot of fun.”
I love the part about accepting the reality of the reality of the circumstances in which you have to work under.
There’s too much emphasis and wasted energy complaining about how the owner doesn’t spend to the upper reaches of the cap ceiling like the Senators are a big market club. And if there’s no complaints about that, it’s the underlying insecurity over everything Toronto. From not receiving equal coverage on the major sports networks morning highlights shows to fans chanting ‘Leafs suck!’ during a mid-March Florida Panthers game at the CTC, this fan base often has a tendency to measure everything Ottawa does against the relative success (or lack thereof) of Toronto.
On whether the introduction of LeBreton Flats will mean that this team will have more revenue to put towards player personnel…
“Umm, you know, yeah. I mean, I’ve talked to Pierre (Dorion) a few times already and he’s kind of spending the money he wants to spend right now. So it’s not like he’s got handcuffs on him or anything like that. The product speaks for itself. We’re a second-place team and they’re clearly doing something right, which is about developing prospects through the system and that kind of thing. It’s a different league now than it was about 15 years ago when you needed to spend yourself to success, right? I haven’t looked at the history in some detail. I think Eugene has a pretty good track record of investing in the team when it made sense and did that. Clearly, the LeBreton project and a downtown arena changes the economic model for this franchise. It becomes a higher revenue franchise and one of the reasons to grow the business is so you can invest more in the business to keep growing it, right? So, I don’t think there’s any doubt that we’re going to want to be able to do that down the road, but right now listen, I look at this hockey club, it’s a second-place hockey club and it’s a real good hockey club. And it’s not just built for today, we’ve got good, young kids coming up and this is an exciting hockey team. We’ve got one of the top-five players in the league in Erik Karlsson and this is a great, great hockey club. We’re seeing it now at the ticket office. You can feel the momentum in the market. There’s a playoff run happening and it’s going to be exciting. It’s that tough time of year now where wins are hard to get as we all saw and teams like Dallas and St. Louis are coming in mad. Aww man, this is when it gets fun right now. It’s going to be good.”
It’s no shock to see the new president understand his mandate and downplay the significance of the budget or stoke the fire that Pierre Dorion doesn’t have the money he needs to make this club more competitive now. The last thing Anselmi wants to do is create more unrest in a fan base that is sensitive to the competitive disadvantages Ottawa faces relative to its peers.
Considering how the Senators aren’t selling out the building, it makes sense for Anselmi to push the competitiveness and seeding of his team as a way to entice fans out to the building, but it’s not like the Senators are resting comfortably in second-place in the Atlantic Division either.
Their recent lull has allowed teams to close some distance and with an extended bad stretch, this team could find itself on the outside looking in quite quickly.
As much as the organization may begrudge fans for not being quick to embrace the current iteration of the team, the challenge for the marketing and sales teams lies in convincing fans to buy tickets for a bubble team that is caught in a one-step forward, two-steps back cycle. It’s easy to sell to things in sports: hope and a winning product. The Senators don’t have enough of either, to really capture the collective imagination of this fan base and that’s a big problem.
On what’s important and what specific things or what shape the new modern arena should take when the project goes ahead…
“What’s important, to me, I guess it starts with, is it a great hockey experience for the fans and for the players? That’s kind of the objective and so then, what does that mean? We’ve seen the models evolve. I was talking to some of the guys yesterday about this building, which was being built when we were doing Vancouver, almost at the exact same time. Cyril (Leeder) and I used to compare notes all the time. The world’s changed: people are a little bit smaller, tighter, really intimate. A live experience in sports is about sharing a bit of sweat with each other – getting close, enjoying an experience together. It’s much more different than a media experience at home. Suites, I mean, we used to be building 20,000 seats and 200 suites. Well, suites are changing. People want to do to the Club Bell experience for instance and share the experience and share a more premium experience with other people. It’s changing. It starts, for me, with how good are the sightlines and the experience, the quality of the building? And that doesn’t mean you need to spend $600 to $700-million. I really believe you can build a great, great arena that is all about hockey in Canada without blowing your brains out. So that’s where we’re going to try and be. The objective I told everyone was: the best hockey arena in the world. That will be the objective.”
Detroit’s new rink is reportedly going to cost upwards of $733-million and Edmonton’s new arena cost approximately $601-million, even if the Senators’ new barn doesn’t approach those cost thresholds, I’m left still wondering how the organization plans on paying for it.
On mentioning Cyril Leeder there and whether there was ever any discussion with Eugene Melnyk about keeping Leeder onboard in some capacity…
“Umm, we sort of talked about maybe that’s a conversation we have down the road. I mean, I really don’t know… I’ve known Cyril for many years and we’ve traded a couple of texts since everything’s changed and we’ll continue to be friends and all that. He’s a gentleman and he’s just a wonderful guy. I don’t know what really transpired there. When I got the call, it was, ‘An opportunity is coming up. Would you be interested?’ So I think the most important thing for Cyril and for the organization is to sort of take some time and kind of figure out what’s next. And then if that makes some sense down the road, maybe it makes some sense. But, it’s not in the cards right now.”
Of course leaving the door open for one of the founding fathers and architects of this franchise is probably just lip service, but Leeder mentioned in his exit press conference that his offer to remain with the Senators to help Anselmi transition into his new role was politely rebuffed. I have a hard time believing that Leeder won’t find some high-profile job in Ottawa, but at the same time, I could definitely envision some reunion at some point down the road too.
On the LeBreton project being years away from being realized and what ideas he has to improve the experience now…
“Well, I don’t really know yet. It’s day seven, so I’m doing a lot of observing and looking and all that kind of thing. We’ve got a pretty full building, but we should be 100-percent full. So we’ve got work to do there. We’ve got a bunch of great people there and I’ve clearly figured that out already in seven days. So my job is to help them realize their potential, help them feel good about themselves, make sure that we’re led, make sure that we’ve got the resources that we need, let Pierre (Dorion) do his thing and stay out of his hair, but be a support for him and deliver the resources that he needs. That’s kind of how I look at the job, but right now, it’s a lot of learning and a lot of listening. But, I’m a believer in always doing your best. Whether you’re running a radio program or doing what I do, it’s about excellence. How do I be my absolute best? How do I be the best that I can be? And that’s what this organization needs to be. Is it right now? I don’t know that, but there are a lot of good people and so it’s a matter of unleashing them and letting them get at it.”
The trick for Anselmi is to get the most out of the limited resources that will be available to him. This isn’t MLSE where he had inexhaustible funds to back his club. Anselmi is going one going from end of the spectrum to another where a rich, faceless board is replaced by the demands of an entrepreneurial businessman owner in Melnyk.
It is going be a sobering challenge, but I hope Anselmi’s up for it.
There’s no question that the Ottawa Senators were desperately in need of a fresh voice who invigorate this team’s brand, but in saying that, it’s going to take some time for Anselmi to put his stamp on this franchise and give the fans something to judge him by.
In looking at his handling of the TFC portfolio and how mismanaged it was or how other MLSE sports franchises have taken off after his departure, I’m a little bit guarded on the hire. Then again, all we can do as fans is hope that he has learned from the missteps of his past and will be better in his current role.
It’s going to take some time for him to put his stamp on this franchise, but I hope he does a great job.
On whether there’s one small thing that he’s noticed that he’d like to change right away…
“The walls in the office are yellow and I’m going to paint them white. I have no idea why they’re yellow. It’s kind of dark and dusty down there, but we’ll fix that. Listen, I’m still looking. I’ve talked to our game ops guy already, I’ve talked to the sponsorship folks, I’ve talked to our ticketing guys now, Pierre (Dorion) and I have talked a lot. He’s got a very small group. If we could bring more resources to the table, would that help him? I don’t know. I’m looking at the building, it’s a pretty good building. It’s clean. We have a nice staff. Everyone’s really friendly. My wife walked around the building last night and she’s been around a lot of arenas in her day and she was blown away by how friendly everyone was. Well, that’s a great start, right? I’m sure there are a million little things (to look at improving). I don’t think there’s any magic bullet here. I think it’s a whole lot of little things to take everything up just one notch and it all starts with the product. If the team is good, you can sell a good product anywhere. It doesn’t matter where you are.”
Once you’re done with the walls, Tom, focus on the jerseys next. A return to the original 2-D logo using Jacob Barrette’s designs would be a great start.
It’s interesting to see Anselmi mention the size of Ottawa’s hockey operations departments and the implication that it puts the Senators at a significant disadvantage. If the resources were available to make the staff larger, one would assume that Dorion would already be exhausting these resources to the best of his ability. And if they aren’t, why not?
This past summer, when it came to the subject of hiring a new head coach. Dorion promoted the notion that money was no object and ownership would commit whatever money was necessary for him to hire the best person for the job. Later, Melnyk downplayed this notion by stating that the overall budget had not changed. Whatever excess money would be used on a head coach had to come from somewhere else within the team’s operating budget (ie. player personnel).
On coming from Toronto to Ottawa and whether there is a different message from Gary Bettman on selling the game in a big market versus a smaller one…
“I’ve only talked to Gary (Bettman) a couple of times before I took the job and then I saw him at the All-Star (Game). He really encouraged me to (take the job) and I know Eugene called him about me beforehand and all those sort of things. Gary’s got the toughest job in the world. Over the years, he’s one of those guys who’s given me some of the best advice I’ve ever had. He’s very much about doing the right thing, just being yourself, being the best you can be in the community and those kinds of things. The league’s job really is to take 31 different owners that all have different markets, different agendas, different objectives and create an environment where they all can succeed. I think they’ve done a terrific job. For instance, we’re talking to them right now about the outdoor game and how does that work? And they’re approaching it very differently with us versus how they might in another market. So they’ve been terrific and I know they’re going to be great partners going forward. They’re very committed to the nation’s capital, as am I. It’s a big reason why I’m here, so we’re going to have some fun.”
Anselmi has Bettman’s stamp of approval. That’s comforting?
On whether there’s any update on the outdoor game since an update was supposed to come in mid-January…
“Yeah, mid-January is just a couple of days away (laughs). No, no, no. (An outdoor game) is going to happen. We’re down to the (finer details). We’re just crossing ‘t’s’ and dotting ‘i’s’ that kind of stuff. So I feel pretty good that it’s going to happen and it probably got delayed a bit because of my arrival. It was kind of on the burner and all of a sudden, it got stalled a little bit. But with a little bit of luck, we’re hopefully going to be able to announce something in the next week or two.”
It never really felt like that an outdoor game was ever in jeopardy, but now there are reports that Ottawa and Montreal may be playing an outdoor at Molson Stadium earlier during the 2017-18 schedule as well. If the NHL agrees to send players to the 2018 Winter Olympics and the Senators agree to play a two-game set in Sweden against the Colorado Avalanche next season, it’s going to make for a ridiculously tough schedule.
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You know Tom Anselmi’s hit the big time when he’s getting the MS Paint red phone treatment on this blog.
The Senators’ new president and COO appeared Thursday morning on TSN 1200’s ‘TGOR’ to talk about his first week on the job.
Anselmi’s fresh to the job, so inevitably there was going a lot of non-answers, corporate spin and pumping of tires, but beyond the vanilla politician’esque takes, there were a few interesting nuggets of information being dropped throughout the interview.
To listen to the full thing, you can scroll to the bottom of this post for the embedded audio.
As always, my thoughts are in bold.
On how it’s going for the last two weeks…
“You know what, it’s terrific. I had a big staff meeting with everyone yesterday and I think it’s been day seven or day eight. When I first met with everyone two weeks ago, I said, ‘I’m really excited to be here,’ and that kind of thing. I told them yesterday now that I’ve been able to sort of absorb things for a couple of weeks, I’m more excited than ever. I really, really appreciate the opportunity and think the future is so, so bright here. It’s a great hockey town. We all know that. We’ve got a heck of a hockey club. (We’re) in second-place and a playoff run about to get going here, but the future, new arenas and just the upside that this brand has and this community has, it’s pretty exciting to be here.”
It’s no surprise that the new guy, who’s a week into his Senators career, is trying to sell his enthusiasm or championing how good his hockey team is to its fans. Considering their place in the standings, the organization has to be disappointing with how their attendance has suffered.
The attendance problem has been well-documented and there are a myriad of reasons why it is down, but it feels like the one that isn’t being given enough credit is how Senators fans, or at least the ones that I know, question this team’s philosophy and direction under its owner. Melnyk malaise feels real and maybe for the first time since he purchased the team in 2003, Senators fans are no longer buying what he’s selling because their confidence in his ability to deliver a Stanley Cup contender is shaken.
On getting the call from Eugene Melnyk and the initial thought on working with him…
“Well, my first reaction when I got the call was, ‘Leave me alone, I’m going snowmobiling,’ and then I stopped and thought about it for a second. Eugene and I had met once or twice at boardmeetings and stuff like that, but did not know him at all. And we went and met, so really we’ve got to know each other over the past month and a half. The first couple sit downs, we were seeing the opportunity the same way. We were seeing the potential the same way. That combined with Ottawa, the community of Ottawa really intrigued me: the capital of our country; the nation’s capital; the cradle of hockey where the game was first played; the 150th anniversary; the fact that it’s right between these two juggernauts of French Canadian hockey and English Canadian hockey in the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs. I really love the potential of that, so that’s really what intrigued me and it’s been great. I think all owners are different. All owners get into this business for different reasons. I’ve worked for institutional owners, big companies like Bell and Rogers, teachers and the like. I’ve worked for private entrepreneurial owners like Eugene and the like. And I actually really enjoy this. They’re passionate about the team. They love what this is about. They love hockey. That’s why they’re in this, so it’s fun and the job is to help them realize their vision and their dream and that’s a pretty interesting opportunity and something you don’t take for granted. I mean, there’s 31 of these jobs out there and it’s a real honour when you’re asked to do, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Hopefully a few years from now, we won’t have to look back and say, “Shit, I really wish he went snowmobiling.”
The one aspect of the Melnyk/Anselmi relationship that I find quite interesting is that they’re both Toronto guys, but they don’t know each other very well.
In consideration of the rumours suggesting that Cyril Leeder did an excellent job putting out Melnyk’s fires, I wonder how well-suited Anselmi is for the job if he is required to do the same.
On whether the LeBreton Flats project makes this job more attractive and whether he would look at this opportunity the same if the project did not exist…
“You know, it makes it interesting and different. I would have taken the job anyways. I’m pretty sure I would have. I really got turned on by the whole idea of Canada, the 150th anniversary, Ottawa and the nation’s capital and the brand potential because of that – where it can sit in sort of the world of hockey brands out there. So I really got turned on by the brand opportunity. The (LeBreton Flats) project just makes it even better. This project is going to be a world-class project. It’s going to transform this community. It’s going to transform the franchise and it’s going to be a game-changer in every way. So that’s pretty cool too and it creates all kinds of opportunity for the organization. It just makes the club a bigger and more important franchise. You know, we’ve got a great building here. We’ve got a great hockey club. It’s a great experience. It’s a little further out of town than most people would like, we all get that, but you know what, it’s still a terrific product. I am a believer in the downtown thing. Like I really believe hockey clubs are more than just a business or entertainment product, they are part of the DNA of a community. They are part of the… it’s because of that they should be geographically central as well as philosophically central. So this is going to be great and hopefully it’s four or five years away, but in the meantime, let’s get a playoff run going and have some fun.”
Hmmm, I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but I don’t know if it’s smart to get fans dreaming on the possibilities and awesomeness of a downtown arena when you still have to get these same fans to enthusiastically drive once or twice a week to Kanata to take in a game.
On the frustrations of fans that this organization has not been able to cut through or convert the Maple Leaf and Habs fans who exist in the nation’s capital…
“Well, I don’t know enough about it yet to know sort of where we do sit. Listen, one of things that I told our staff the first day I met them, I had the opportunity of watching this from the other end of the 401 for a lot of years and I was custodian of a lot of great sports brands, and I think what’s important is not being preoccupied with what you aren’t. It’s all about what you are. You know this franchise has been here 25 years, so we’ve seen a generation click over. I get that there’s lots of Leafs fans here and lots of Habs fans there and there’s this generational thing where parents pass (fan allegiances) on to kids. It’s great, no problem. Our job is to make sure that there’s a product here and an experience here that their kids or that next generation rally around and off we go. It’s the same thing in Calgary and Edmonton, there’s Leaf and Habs fans across the country. So be it, that’s okay. There’s lots of hockey fans in this country and only 20,000 seats. At the end of the day, Ottawa and this community, they’re going to rally around their own team first long-term. We saw it when we launched the Raptors. We were doing all kinds of stuff to build a fan base. Well here we are 20-something years later and those fans that were six years old and sort of getting used to us are now 26-years old, they’re buying tickets and passing it onto their kids. So, that’s what it’s about. Do we need to be the most important hockey club in this market? Absolutely. Are we there? I don’t know that yet, but absolutely, we need to be what this community is focused on and that will be a lot of fun.”
I love the part about accepting the reality of the reality of the circumstances in which you have to work under.
There’s too much emphasis and wasted energy complaining about how the owner doesn’t spend to the upper reaches of the cap ceiling like the Senators are a big market club. And if there’s no complaints about that, it’s the underlying insecurity over everything Toronto. From not receiving equal coverage on the major sports networks morning highlights shows to fans chanting ‘Leafs suck!’ during a mid-March Florida Panthers game at the CTC, this fan base often has a tendency to measure everything Ottawa does against the relative success (or lack thereof) of Toronto.
On whether the introduction of LeBreton Flats will mean that this team will have more revenue to put towards player personnel…
“Umm, you know, yeah. I mean, I’ve talked to Pierre (Dorion) a few times already and he’s kind of spending the money he wants to spend right now. So it’s not like he’s got handcuffs on him or anything like that. The product speaks for itself. We’re a second-place team and they’re clearly doing something right, which is about developing prospects through the system and that kind of thing. It’s a different league now than it was about 15 years ago when you needed to spend yourself to success, right? I haven’t looked at the history in some detail. I think Eugene has a pretty good track record of investing in the team when it made sense and did that. Clearly, the LeBreton project and a downtown arena changes the economic model for this franchise. It becomes a higher revenue franchise and one of the reasons to grow the business is so you can invest more in the business to keep growing it, right? So, I don’t think there’s any doubt that we’re going to want to be able to do that down the road, but right now listen, I look at this hockey club, it’s a second-place hockey club and it’s a real good hockey club. And it’s not just built for today, we’ve got good, young kids coming up and this is an exciting hockey team. We’ve got one of the top-five players in the league in Erik Karlsson and this is a great, great hockey club. We’re seeing it now at the ticket office. You can feel the momentum in the market. There’s a playoff run happening and it’s going to be exciting. It’s that tough time of year now where wins are hard to get as we all saw and teams like Dallas and St. Louis are coming in mad. Aww man, this is when it gets fun right now. It’s going to be good.”
It’s no shock to see the new president understand his mandate and downplay the significance of the budget or stoke the fire that Pierre Dorion doesn’t have the money he needs to make this club more competitive now. The last thing Anselmi wants to do is create more unrest in a fan base that is sensitive to the competitive disadvantages Ottawa faces relative to its peers.
Considering how the Senators aren’t selling out the building, it makes sense for Anselmi to push the competitiveness and seeding of his team as a way to entice fans out to the building, but it’s not like the Senators are resting comfortably in second-place in the Atlantic Division either.
Their recent lull has allowed teams to close some distance and with an extended bad stretch, this team could find itself on the outside looking in quite quickly.
As much as the organization may begrudge fans for not being quick to embrace the current iteration of the team, the challenge for the marketing and sales teams lies in convincing fans to buy tickets for a bubble team that is caught in a one-step forward, two-steps back cycle. It’s easy to sell to things in sports: hope and a winning product. The Senators don’t have enough of either, to really capture the collective imagination of this fan base and that’s a big problem.
On what’s important and what specific things or what shape the new modern arena should take when the project goes ahead…
“What’s important, to me, I guess it starts with, is it a great hockey experience for the fans and for the players? That’s kind of the objective and so then, what does that mean? We’ve seen the models evolve. I was talking to some of the guys yesterday about this building, which was being built when we were doing Vancouver, almost at the exact same time. Cyril (Leeder) and I used to compare notes all the time. The world’s changed: people are a little bit smaller, tighter, really intimate. A live experience in sports is about sharing a bit of sweat with each other – getting close, enjoying an experience together. It’s much more different than a media experience at home. Suites, I mean, we used to be building 20,000 seats and 200 suites. Well, suites are changing. People want to do to the Club Bell experience for instance and share the experience and share a more premium experience with other people. It’s changing. It starts, for me, with how good are the sightlines and the experience, the quality of the building? And that doesn’t mean you need to spend $600 to $700-million. I really believe you can build a great, great arena that is all about hockey in Canada without blowing your brains out. So that’s where we’re going to try and be. The objective I told everyone was: the best hockey arena in the world. That will be the objective.”
Detroit’s new rink is reportedly going to cost upwards of $733-million and Edmonton’s new arena cost approximately $601-million, even if the Senators’ new barn doesn’t approach those cost thresholds, I’m left still wondering how the organization plans on paying for it.
On mentioning Cyril Leeder there and whether there was ever any discussion with Eugene Melnyk about keeping Leeder onboard in some capacity…
“Umm, we sort of talked about maybe that’s a conversation we have down the road. I mean, I really don’t know… I’ve known Cyril for many years and we’ve traded a couple of texts since everything’s changed and we’ll continue to be friends and all that. He’s a gentleman and he’s just a wonderful guy. I don’t know what really transpired there. When I got the call, it was, ‘An opportunity is coming up. Would you be interested?’ So I think the most important thing for Cyril and for the organization is to sort of take some time and kind of figure out what’s next. And then if that makes some sense down the road, maybe it makes some sense. But, it’s not in the cards right now.”
Of course leaving the door open for one of the founding fathers and architects of this franchise is probably just lip service, but Leeder mentioned in his exit press conference that his offer to remain with the Senators to help Anselmi transition into his new role was politely rebuffed. I have a hard time believing that Leeder won’t find some high-profile job in Ottawa, but at the same time, I could definitely envision some reunion at some point down the road too.
On the LeBreton project being years away from being realized and what ideas he has to improve the experience now…
“Well, I don’t really know yet. It’s day seven, so I’m doing a lot of observing and looking and all that kind of thing. We’ve got a pretty full building, but we should be 100-percent full. So we’ve got work to do there. We’ve got a bunch of great people there and I’ve clearly figured that out already in seven days. So my job is to help them realize their potential, help them feel good about themselves, make sure that we’re led, make sure that we’ve got the resources that we need, let Pierre (Dorion) do his thing and stay out of his hair, but be a support for him and deliver the resources that he needs. That’s kind of how I look at the job, but right now, it’s a lot of learning and a lot of listening. But, I’m a believer in always doing your best. Whether you’re running a radio program or doing what I do, it’s about excellence. How do I be my absolute best? How do I be the best that I can be? And that’s what this organization needs to be. Is it right now? I don’t know that, but there are a lot of good people and so it’s a matter of unleashing them and letting them get at it.”
The trick for Anselmi is to get the most out of the limited resources that will be available to him. This isn’t MLSE where he had inexhaustible funds to back his club. Anselmi is going one going from end of the spectrum to another where a rich, faceless board is replaced by the demands of an entrepreneurial businessman owner in Melnyk.
It is going be a sobering challenge, but I hope Anselmi’s up for it.
There’s no question that the Ottawa Senators were desperately in need of a fresh voice who invigorate this team’s brand, but in saying that, it’s going to take some time for Anselmi to put his stamp on this franchise and give the fans something to judge him by.
In looking at his handling of the TFC portfolio and how mismanaged it was or how other MLSE sports franchises have taken off after his departure, I’m a little bit guarded on the hire. Then again, all we can do as fans is hope that he has learned from the missteps of his past and will be better in his current role.
It’s going to take some time for him to put his stamp on this franchise, but I hope he does a great job.
On whether there’s one small thing that he’s noticed that he’d like to change right away…
“The walls in the office are yellow and I’m going to paint them white. I have no idea why they’re yellow. It’s kind of dark and dusty down there, but we’ll fix that. Listen, I’m still looking. I’ve talked to our game ops guy already, I’ve talked to the sponsorship folks, I’ve talked to our ticketing guys now, Pierre (Dorion) and I have talked a lot. He’s got a very small group. If we could bring more resources to the table, would that help him? I don’t know. I’m looking at the building, it’s a pretty good building. It’s clean. We have a nice staff. Everyone’s really friendly. My wife walked around the building last night and she’s been around a lot of arenas in her day and she was blown away by how friendly everyone was. Well, that’s a great start, right? I’m sure there are a million little things (to look at improving). I don’t think there’s any magic bullet here. I think it’s a whole lot of little things to take everything up just one notch and it all starts with the product. If the team is good, you can sell a good product anywhere. It doesn’t matter where you are.”
Once you’re done with the walls, Tom, focus on the jerseys next. A return to the original 2-D logo using Jacob Barrette’s designs would be a great start.
It’s interesting to see Anselmi mention the size of Ottawa’s hockey operations departments and the implication that it puts the Senators at a significant disadvantage. If the resources were available to make the staff larger, one would assume that Dorion would already be exhausting these resources to the best of his ability. And if they aren’t, why not?
This past summer, when it came to the subject of hiring a new head coach. Dorion promoted the notion that money was no object and ownership would commit whatever money was necessary for him to hire the best person for the job. Later, Melnyk downplayed this notion by stating that the overall budget had not changed. Whatever excess money would be used on a head coach had to come from somewhere else within the team’s operating budget (ie. player personnel).
On coming from Toronto to Ottawa and whether there is a different message from Gary Bettman on selling the game in a big market versus a smaller one…
“I’ve only talked to Gary (Bettman) a couple of times before I took the job and then I saw him at the All-Star (Game). He really encouraged me to (take the job) and I know Eugene called him about me beforehand and all those sort of things. Gary’s got the toughest job in the world. Over the years, he’s one of those guys who’s given me some of the best advice I’ve ever had. He’s very much about doing the right thing, just being yourself, being the best you can be in the community and those kinds of things. The league’s job really is to take 31 different owners that all have different markets, different agendas, different objectives and create an environment where they all can succeed. I think they’ve done a terrific job. For instance, we’re talking to them right now about the outdoor game and how does that work? And they’re approaching it very differently with us versus how they might in another market. So they’ve been terrific and I know they’re going to be great partners going forward. They’re very committed to the nation’s capital, as am I. It’s a big reason why I’m here, so we’re going to have some fun.”
Anselmi has Bettman’s stamp of approval. That’s comforting?
On whether there’s any update on the outdoor game since an update was supposed to come in mid-January…
“Yeah, mid-January is just a couple of days away (laughs). No, no, no. (An outdoor game) is going to happen. We’re down to the (finer details). We’re just crossing ‘t’s’ and dotting ‘i’s’ that kind of stuff. So I feel pretty good that it’s going to happen and it probably got delayed a bit because of my arrival. It was kind of on the burner and all of a sudden, it got stalled a little bit. But with a little bit of luck, we’re hopefully going to be able to announce something in the next week or two.”
It never really felt like that an outdoor game was ever in jeopardy, but now there are reports that Ottawa and Montreal may be playing an outdoor at Molson Stadium earlier during the 2017-18 schedule as well. If the NHL agrees to send players to the 2018 Winter Olympics and the Senators agree to play a two-game set in Sweden against the Colorado Avalanche next season, it’s going to make for a ridiculously tough schedule.
http://proxy.autopod.ca/download/podcasts/chum/1/50531/TA 020917.mp3
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