Men’s Ice Hockey: Ohio State, Boston University set for NCAA Tournament showdown in Toledo

Olivia Rinaldi
Thu, 27 Mar 2025 04:15:54 +0000
Ice Hockey, Instagram Page, Men's hockey, News, Sports, Aiden Hansen-Bukata, Brent Johnson, Buckeyes, Caden Brown, Carter Krier, Chris Able, Christopher Romaine, Damien Carfagna, Davis Burnside, Dylan Godbout, Gunnarwolfe Fontaine, hockey, Jake Dunlap, Jake Rozzi, James Hong, Jason Rule, JB Bittner, Joe Dunlap, John Larkin, Kristoffer Eberly, Layne LeBel, Logan Terness, Max Montes, men's hockey, Men's ice hockey, Nathan Lewis, Nathan McBrayer [and 16 more]

The Ohio State men’s hockey team celebrates a goal from graduate forward and captain Patrick Guzzo (71) to put the Buckeyes up 3-2 during the game against Penn State Sunday. The Buckeyes defeated the Nittany Lions 4-3 in overtime to clinch a spot in the Big Ten Tournament championship game. Credit: Sandra Fu | Photo Editor

The NCAA Tournament is here.

No. 9 Ohio State will visit Toledo to face No. 8 Boston University in its NCAA first-round matchup 2 p.m. Thursday. The game will be televised on ESPNU and streamed via WatchESPN in the United States and TSN+ in Canada.?

The Buckeyes are coming off a double-overtime loss to Michigan State Saturday night in the Big Ten Tournament final.

“It hurts,” forward Gunnarwolfe Fontaine said regarding the loss. “It definitely hurts, being so close.”

Similarly, the Terriers were defeated by UConn 5-2 in the Hockey East semifinals last Thursday.

Following these defeats, both teams are looking to redeem themselves in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Ohio State head coach Steve Rohlik said his team has been preparing all week to face an unfamiliar opponent, knowing how daunting the unknown can be.

“They’re dangerous,” Rohlik said. “They’re as dangerous as any team in the country.”

This marks Ohio State’s 11th NCAA Tournament appearance, whereas Boston University will make its 40th.

Despite this disparity, Rohlik said the Terriers’ deep history isn’t shaking the Buckeyes’ confidence.

“We understand BU,” Rohlik said. “We understand the history. Put the name aside. We’ve got to go out there and play our best hockey.”

In Ohio State’s last NCAA Tournament appearance in 2023, the Buckeyes defeated Harvard 8-1 in the opening round but fell to eventual national champion Quinnipiac 4-1 in the regional final.

Fontaine leads the Buckeyes with 40 points and has scored three goals in his last two games, including the game-tying goal against Michigan State in the Big Ten final and the game-winning goal against Penn State in the semifinal.

For the Terriers, forward Quinn Huston leads the team with 47 points and also scored in Boston University’s recent game against UConn. He is followed by his brother, defenseman Cole Huston, who has tallied 40 points this year.

After being picked to finish last in the Big Ten this season, the Buckeyes have made their way back to the NCAA Tournament. For Fontaine and his teammates, this outcome wasn’t surprising.

“That didn’t sit well with a lot of us,” Fontaine said. “We knew the group we had here, and we finally showed it out there.”

Now, the Buckeyes will look to continue proving people wrong, starting in their game against Boston.