The unanimous No. 1 Michigan Wolverines (28-7-1) are back in the Big Ten Tournament Championship for the fourth time in five years, and for the first time in program history, the finals will be hosted at Yost Ice Arena. The only thing standing between Michigan and its first conference crown since 2023 is a dangerous and desperate Ohio State (14-20-2) team that’s fighting to extend its season for the third straight game.
The Buckeyes have been in win-or-go-home mode the entire Big Ten Tournament. In
the quarterfinals, Ohio State beat the brakes off 4-seed Wisconsin in Madison, 7-1, and then shocked the college hockey world by beating Michigan State at Munn, 3-2. Styles make fights in hockey, and entering the Big Ten Tournament, the Buckeyes were .500 or better against both Wisconsin and Michigan State. So however difficult their path looked on paper, it aligned well with the Scarlet and Grey’s style of play.
Ohio State’s attack is balanced at the top. Although their leading scorer – Jake Karabela (14G, 22A) – only has 36 points on the year, the Buckeyes have seven scorers with 20 or more points and five with at least 27. Of these top scorers, watch out for Max Montes (15G, 12A) on the forecheck tonight. His physicality and tenacity were massive differentiators against the Spartans last week and the team feeds off his energy.
On the blue line, Ohio State has finally found a rhythm these last few weeks after struggling all season. Still ranked in the bottom-10 nationally in scoring defense, the Buckeyes have been as connected as any team on the back end in this tournament. Broten Sabo (2G, 19A) leads this unit, but the secret to their success has been goaltending.
After a lengthy timeshare with freshman Sam Hillebrandt (.890), junior goalie Kristoffer Eberly (.890) has reaffirmed that the net is his. A Michigan native, Ebberly has stopped 69 of 72 shots the last two weeks (.958) and is playing the best hockey of his life. The foundation of any true Cinderella run starts in net and the slipper (skate?) appears to fit perfectly for Ebberly.
But despite the success against Wisconsin and Michigan State, the improbable Buckeyes will have to topple their biggest obstacle of the season if they want to claim their program’s first Big Ten Tournament title and make the NCAA Tournament.
This season, Ohio State is winless against the Wolverines and has been outscored by its rival 22-9. Big Ten Player of the Year T.J. Hughes (19G, 31A) has been exceptionally potent against the Buckeyes, registering a point in every game and multiple points three times. Hughes leads the nation in assists and is the catalyst for the nation’s top power play. Not to be outdone, sophomore Michael Hage (13G, 37A) shares the team lead in points and finally broke his goal-scoring drought by lighting the lamp against Penn State last week for the first time since Jan. 16.
Defensively, every hockey fan in the country is aware of the dynamic two-way ability of Michigan’s blue liners. But fewer are familiar with the dramatic turnaround of this team’s defensive prowess. Last season, Michigan allowed 118 goals in 36 games for an average of 3.28 goals per game. This season, the Wolverines have only allowed 85 goals in the same number of games for an average of 2.36 goals per game, and rank No. 11 nationally in scoring defense. The blue liners get their edge from players like Tyler Duke (2G, 15A) and Luca Fantilli (3G, 13A), and, of course, the biggest reason for this turnaround has been the play of freshman goalie Jack Ivankovic (.924).
Ivankovic has been sensational for Michigan this season and has taken his game to another level in the postseason. Against Notre Dame – despite their best efforts to reinjure him – Kovie posted a .958 save percentage and followed it up with a .931 against the potent Penn State attack. It feels like an obvious oversimplification, but whatever team gets the better performance from their netminder is likely to walk away with the Big Ten title.
Key to the game
Match Ohio State’s intensity. Tomorrow isn’t promised for Ohio State. The Buckeyes are going to throw everything they have and more at Michigan on Saturday and the Wolverines must match this level of desperate energy. Desperation is a good thing, but it can also be a team’s undoing. If Michigan can use Ohio State’s energy against them and force them into penalties, then it will put the winning onus on the Buckeyes’ bottom-ten penalty-kill (No. 58 of 63 NCAA teams) to save their season.
Championship Game
- When: Saturday, March 21, 8 p.m. ET
- Where: Yost Ice Arena
- How to watch: Big Ten Network
- How to listen: Varsity Podcast Network
