# 2023–24 Ohio State Buckeyes men's ice hockey season

The 2023–24 Ohio State Buckeyes men's ice hockey season was the 61st season for the program and 11th season in the Big Ten Conference. The Buckeyes represented the Ohio State University in the 2023-24 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, played their home games at Value City Arena and were coached by Steve Rohlik in his 11th season.

## Season

After falling to the Quinnipiac Bobcats in the second round of the 2023 NCAA Division tournament, the Buckeyes looked to build upon the success they had in previous seasons.
Although the Buckeyes brought in 16 new players through either the transfer portal or out of high school, they still went into the season losing some big names. Among these were goaltender Jakub Dobeš, who had served as the starter for the previous two seasons, and captain Gustaf Westlund. They also lost defensemen Cole McWard and Mason Lohrei to professional contracts. The departures highlighted a successful period in Buckeye hockey in terms of recruitment and regular season success. Among notable additions to the team was transfer Jake Dunlap, who joined his brother Joe Dunlap on the Buckeyes.
As expected, the Buckeyes started off in the middle of the pack in the rankings, being ranked 13th and 15th by USCHO.com and USA Hockey, respectively. Although a 3-1-3 start would allow them be ranked as high as 13th in both polls in Week 4, things would quickly get worse for the Buckeyes from there. Between November 3rd and December 9th, the Buckeyes would only win two games - non-conference games against Princeton. This would drop their record 5-8-4, including a 0-8-2 record in Big Ten play. This slide would knock them out of both USCHO.com and USA Hockey rankings by Week 6.
The Buckeyes would finally register their first season win against a Big Ten opponent on January 12, 2024 against Notre Dame. Unfortunately, this wouldn't spark anything for the team, as they would lose seven straight afterwards, all against Big Ten teams. However, after the losing streak, the Buckeyes would be rattle off three straight upset wins against the #4 ranked team, the first two against the Wisconsin Badgers, and one against the Michigan State Spartans. They would lose the final three games of the season, bringing their regular season record to 12-18-4, and an abysmal 4-18-2 in inter-conference play. It was their worst conference record since they joined the conference and worst since 1994–95.
The Buckeyes, unsurprisingly, entered the 2024 Big Ten tournament as the worst-seeded #7 team, and would face off against #2 seeded Wisconsin, who was ranked #5 overall. The Buckeyes would stun the Badgers and they won the series 2-1, moving on to face the top seeded Spartans. Despite a good effort against the top-seeded Spartans, the Buckeyes would fall 2-1, ending their season.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Mark Cheremeta | Forward | United States | Transferred to Sacred Heart |
| Jakub Dobeš | Goaltender | Czech Republic | Signed professional contract (Montreal Canadiens) |
| Tyler Duke | Defenseman | United States | Transferred to Michigan |
| Jaedon Leslie | Forward | Canada | Graduate transfer to Niagara |
| Mason Lohrei | Defenseman | United States | Signed professional contract (Boston Bruins) |
| James Marooney | Defenseman | United States | Graduate transfer to St. Thomas |
| Cole McWard | Defenseman | United States | Signed professional contract (Vancouver Canucks) |
| Evan McIntyre | Defenseman | Canada | Transferred to Augustana |
| C. J. Regula | Defenseman | United States | Graduate transfer to Rensselaer |
| Kamil Sadlocha | Forward | United States | Graduation (signed with TH Unia Oświęcim) |
| Tate Singleton | Forward | Canada | Graduation (signed with Toronto Marlies) |
| Ryan Snowden | Goaltender | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Travis Treloar | Forward | Sweden | Transferred to Quinnipiac |
| Dom Vidoli | Defenseman | United States | Graduate transfer to Omaha |
| Gustaf Westlund | Forward | Sweden | Graduation (signed with IK Oskarshamn) |
| Jake Wise | Forward | United States | Graduation (signed with Charlotte Checkers) |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Caden Brown | Forward | United States | 20 | St. Louis, MO; transfer from Wisconsin |
| Damien Carfagna | Defenseman | United States | 20 | Wood Ridge, NJ; transfer from New Hampshire |
| Samuel Deckhut | Forward | United States | 21 | San Diego, CA |
| Jake Dunlap | Forward | United States | 21 | Windham, NH; transfer from New Hampshire |
| Kristoffer Eberly | Goaltender | United States | 20 | Pinckney, MI |
| Ryan Gordon | Forward | United States | 21 | Duluth, GA |
| Riley Hughes | Forward | United States | 23 | Westwood, MA; graduate transfer from Northeastern; selected 216th overall in 2018 |
| Brent Johnson | Defenseman | United States | 20 | Dallas, TX; transfer from North Dakota; selected 80th overall in 2021 |
| Mason Klee | Defenseman | United States | 23 | Morrison, CO; graduate transfer from Rensselaer |
| Nathan McBrayer | Defenseman | United States | 19 | Columbus, OH |
| Max Montes | Forward | United States | 20 | Waukesha, WI |
| William Smith | Defenseman | Canada | 20 | Toronto, ON |
| Logan Terness | Goaltender | Canada | 21 | Burnaby, BC; transfer from Connecticut |
| Theo Wallberg | Defenseman | Sweden | 19 | Stockholm, SWE; selected 168th overall in 2022 |
| Thomas Weis | Forward | United States | 21 | Madison, WI |

## Roster

As of July 6, 2023.

## Standings

2023–24 Big Ten ice hockey Standingsvte :
| | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record |
| | GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | 3/SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| #5 Michigan State †* | 24 | 16 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 52 | 92 | 69 | 38 | 25 | 10 | 3 | 147 | 117 |
| #11 Wisconsin | 24 | 16 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 50 | 81 | 57 | 40 | 26 | 12 | 2 | 128 | 81 |
| #7 Minnesota | 24 | 13 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 80 | 65 | 39 | 23 | 11 | 5 | 135 | 100 |
| #4 Michigan | 24 | 11 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 36 | 85 | 77 | 41 | 23 | 15 | 3 | 169 | 125 |
| Notre Dame | 24 | 9 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 31 | 66 | 62 | 36 | 15 | 19 | 2 | 101 | 98 |
| Penn State | 24 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 27 | 62 | 92 | 36 | 15 | 18 | 3 | 113 | 130 |
| Ohio State | 24 | 4 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 50 | 94 | 38 | 14 | 20 | 4 | 100 | 124 |
| Championship: March 23, 2024 † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; updated April 11, 2024 |||||||||||||||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Rank$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| October 7 | 7:00 pm | at Mercyhurst* | #13 | Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania | FloHockey | Terness | W 4–3 | 2,050 | 1–0–0 |
| October 13 | 7:00 pm | Lindenwood* | #14 | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | | Terness | W 4–2 | 2,853 | 2–0–0 |
| October 14 | 7:00 pm | Lindenwood* | #14 | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | | Terness | T 2–2 $^{OT}$ | 2,901 | 2–0–1 |
| October 20 | 6:00 pm | at #7 Michigan | #13 | Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, Michigan | BTN | Terness | L 1–7 | 5,800 | 2–1–1 (0–1–0) |
| October 21 | 7:00 pm | at #7 Michigan | #13 | Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, Michigan | BTN+ | Terness | T 2–2 $^{SOW}$ | 5,800 | 2–1–2 (0–1–1) |
| October 27 | 8:07 pm | at #20 Omaha* | #16 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | | Terness | T 2–2 $^{OT}$ | 6,402 | 2–1–3 |
| October 28 | 8:07 pm | at #20 Omaha* | #16 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | | Terness | W 4–0 $^{OT}$ | 6,254 | 3–1–3 |
| November 3 | 7:00 pm | #12 Michigan State | #13 | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | BTN+ | Terness | L 0–6 | 4,407 | 3–2–3 (0–2–1) |
| November 4 | 5:00 pm | #12 Michigan State | #13 | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | BTN+ | Terness | L 4–6 | 5,121 | 3–3–3 (0–3–1) |
| November 10 | 7:30 pm | at Notre Dame | #19 | Compton Family Ice Arena • Notre Dame, Indiana | Peacock | Terness | L 1–4 | 5,120 | 3–4–3 (0–4–1) |
| November 11 | 6:00 pm | at Notre Dame | #19 | Compton Family Ice Arena • Notre Dame, Indiana | Peacock | Terness | L 0–3 | 5,183 | 3–5–3 (0–5–1) |
| November 24 | 5:00 pm | Princeton* | | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | | Terness | W 6–3 | 4,355 | 4–5–3 |
| November 25 | 5:00 pm | Princeton* | | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | | Terness | W 4–3 | 3,010 | 5–5–3 |
| December 1 | 8:00 pm | at #6 Wisconsin | | Kohl Center • Madison, Wisconsin | BTN+ | Terness | L 0–3 | 9,859 | 5–6–3 (0–6–1) |
| December 2 | 9:00 pm | at #6 Wisconsin | | Kohl Center • Madison, Wisconsin | BTN+ | Terness | L 1–6 | 9,720 | 5–7–3 (0–7–1) |
| December 8 | 6:30 pm | #10 Minnesota | | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | BTN | Eberly | L 4–5 | 4,376 | 5–8–3 (0–8–1) |
| December 9 | 8:00 pm | #10 Minnesota | | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | BTN | Eberly | T 1–1 $^{SOW}$ | 4,140 | 5–8–4 (0–8–2) |
| December 30 | 5:00 pm | Mercyhurst* | | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | | Eberly | W 5–3 | 5,096 | 6–8–4 |
| January 5 | 7:00 pm | Bowling Green* | | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | | Eberly | W 6–2 | 5,050 | 7–8–4 |
| January 6 | 7:07 pm | at Bowling Green* | | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | FloHockey | Terness | W 4–2 | 5,000 | 8–8–4 |
| January 12 | 7:00 pm | Notre Dame | | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | BTN | Terness | W 3–2 | 5,762 | 9–8–4 (1–8–2) |
| January 13 | 7:00 pm | Notre Dame | | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | BTN | Eberly | L 2–5 | 6,566 | 9–9–4 (1–9–2) |
| January 19 | 8:00 pm | at #10 Minnesota | | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, Minnesota | Fox 9, BTN+ | Terness | L 2–5 | 10,037 | 9–10–4 (1–10–2) |
| January 20 | 8:00 pm | at #10 Minnesota | | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, Minnesota | BTN | Terness | L 3–6 | 9,594 | 9–11–4 (1–11–2) |
| January 26 | 7:00 pm | at Penn State | | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | BTN+ | Eberly | L 3–4 | 6,533 | 9–12–4 (1–12–2) |
| January 27 | 6:00 pm | at Penn State | | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | BTN+ | Eberly | L 3–4 | 6,578 | 9–13–4 (1–13–2) |
| February 2 | 7:00 pm | #12 Michigan | | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | BTN+ | Terness | L 2–4 | 8,131 | 9–14–4 (1–14–2) |
| February 3 | 8:00 pm | #12 Michigan | | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | BTN | Eberly | L 1–4 | 8,789 | 9–15–4 (1–15–2) |
| February 16 | 7:00 pm | #4 Wisconsin | | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | BTN+ | Terness | W 3–2 $^{OT}$ | 6,353 | 10–15–4 (2–15–2) |
| February 17 | 4:30 pm | #4 Wisconsin | | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | BTN | Eberly | W 3–1 | 6,764 | 11–15–4 (3–15–2) |
| February 23 | 7:00 pm | at #4т Michigan State | | Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, Michigan | BTN+ | Terness | W 6–2 | 6,555 | 12–15–4 (4–15–2) |
| February 24 | 6:00 pm | at #4т Michigan State | | Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, Michigan | BTN+ | Eberly | L 2–5 | 6,555 | 12–16–4 (4–16–2) |
| March 1 | 6:00 pm | Penn State | | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | BTN | Terness | L 2–5 | 6,275 | 12–17–4 (4–17–2) |
| March 2 | 5:00 pm | Penn State | | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | BTN+ | Terness | L 1–2 | 5,821 | 12–18–4 (4–18–2) |
| Big Ten Tournament ||||||||||
| March 8 | 8:00 pm | at #5 Wisconsin* | | Kohl Center • Madison, Wisconsin (Quarterfinal Game 1) | BTN+ | Terness | W 3–1 | 8,873 | 13–18–4 |
| March 9 | 7:00 pm | at #5 Wisconsin* | | Kohl Center • Madison, Wisconsin (Quarterfinal Game 2) | BTN+ | Eberly | L 2–4 | 10,837 | 13–19–4 |
| March 10 | 6:00 pm | at #5 Wisconsin* | | Kohl Center • Madison, Wisconsin (Quarterfinal Game 3) | BTN+ | Terness | W 3–1 | 7,994 | 14–19–4 |
| March 16 | 6:30 pm | at #4 Michigan State* | | Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, Michigan (Semifinal) | BTN | Terness | L 1–2 | 6,555 | 14–20–4 |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. Source: ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Stephen Halliday | C | 38 | 10 | 26 | 36 | 30 |
| Scooter Brickey | D | 37 | 13 | 13 | 26 | 32 |
| Davis Burnside | F | 38 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 32 |
| Theo Wallberg | D | 38 | 2 | 19 | 21 | 16 |
| Max Montes | F | 37 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 17 |
| Cam Thiesing | C | 31 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 55 |
| Patrick Guzzo | C | 38 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 15 |
| Dalton Messina | F | 38 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 20 |
| Brent Johnson | D | 37 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 8 |
| Thomas Weis | C | 37 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 33 |
| Michael Gildon | LW | 34 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 27 |
| Cade Brown | C | 24 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 6 |
| Joseph Dunlap | F | 13 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 40 |
| Jake Dunlap | F | 33 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 40 |
| Nathan McBrayer | D | 34 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 8 |
| Sam Deckhut | C | 29 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 |
| Damien Carfagna | D | 34 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| Riley Hughes | RW | 23 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 19 |
| William Smith | D | 32 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 22 |
| Mason Klee | D | 38 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 25 |
| Ryan Gordon | C | 30 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| John Larkin | D | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| Reilly Herbst | G | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kristoffer Eberly | G | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Matt Cassidy | RW | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| Logan Terness | G | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | | | 100 | 170 | 270 | 464 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Kristoffer Eberly | 15 | 725:25 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 36 | 368 | 0 | .911 | 2.98 |
| Logan Terness | 27 | 1529:14 | 11 | 12 | 3 | 79 | 741 | 1 | .904 | 3.10 |
| Reilly Herbst | 3 | 24:27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 0 | .813 | 7.36 |
| Empty Net | - | 25:32 | - | - | - | 6 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 38 | 2304:38 | 14 | 20 | 4 | 124 | 1122 | 1 | .900 | 3.23 |

## Rankings

| Poll | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 (Final) |
| USCHO.com | 13 | 14 | 13 | 16 | 13 | 19 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR |
| USA Hockey | 15 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 19 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 11 and 25. Note: USA Hockey did not release a poll in week 12.

## Awards and honors

| Player | Award | Ref |
| Scooter Brickey | Big Ten Second Team | |

## 2024 NHL Entry Draft

| Round | Pick | Player | NHL team |
| 5 | 148 | Noah Powell $^†$ | Detroit Red Wings |
† incoming freshman