This is not the first time Ohio State and Minnesota-Duluth have found themselves head-to-head in the NCAA men’s hockey tournament. Last year, the Bulldogs knocked the Buckeyes out of the tournament with a 3-2 overtime win in the West Regional semifinal. Now, the Buckeyes will look for revenge in this year’s Frozen Four matchup Thursday at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN2 (live streamed on WatchESPN).
Ohio State vs. Minnesota-Duluth 2018 live stream: Time, TV channel, how to watch Frozen Four online
The UMD Bulldogs knocked the Buckeyes out of last year’s NCAA tournament. Can they do it again?
Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images
How did Ohio State hockey reach the Frozen Four?
It’s been 20 years since the Ohio State men’s hockey team competed in the Frozen Four, and this is the first time they’ve made it as a No. 1 seed. The Buckeyes bested No. 4 Princeton (4-2) and No. 2 Denver (5-1) to make it to this point — their win over Princeton was the program’s first NCAA tournament win since 1998.
Before the season, nobody expected the Buckeyes to get to this point. But they skated to 26-9-5 record, racking up the most team wins since 2005. A look at the stat sheet shows Ohio State is a balanced team, ranking in the top 10 nationally in penalty kills (.893), wins (26), team defense (2.08 goals allowed per game), and scoring offense (3.25 goals scored per game).
How did UMD hockey reach the Frozen Four?
UMD is looking to make it back to the NCAA title game, and reclaim the championship for the first time since 2011. This marks the second straight year the Bulldogs have found their way to the Frozen Four, capping off a 23-16-3 season with wins over Minnesota State (3-2 OT) and Air Force (2-1) in the West Regional bracket.
The Bulldogs rank No. 8 nationally in scoring defense (2.14 goals allowed per game) while averaging 3.05 goals per game on offense. Similar to the Buckeyes — who have six players with double-digit goals this season — the Bulldogs claim five guys who have notched double-digit goals, led by freshman defenseman Scott Perunovich with 36 points.
How to watch No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Minnesota Duluth
- Time: 6 p.m. ET
- Location: Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota
- TV: ESPN2
- Online: WatchESPN
- Announcers: John Buccigross, Barry Melrose, and Quint Kessenich
- Radio: Westwood One Radio | Sirius/XM College Sports Nation (Channel 84)
What’s next?
This is the first time since 2005 that three teams from one conference have made it to the Frozen Four, and this year’s semifinal is filled with Big Ten teams. Should Ohio State get revenge on UMD on Thursday, it’ll face either the reigning Big Ten champion Notre Dame —who beat the Buckeyes to claim the conference title — or long-time rival Michigan for the NCAA tournament title.
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