# 2021–22 Ohio State Buckeyes men's ice hockey season

The 2021–22 Ohio State Buckeyes men's ice hockey season was the 59th season of play for the program. They represented the Ohio State University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season. This season marked the ninth season in the Big Ten Conference. They were coached by Steve Rohlik, in his ninth season, and played their home games at Value City Arena.

## Season

Entering the season, Ohio State was picked to finish last in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes, however, began the season well, winning three of their first four games. While the victories helped, the first few weeks also settled the goaltending competition when freshman Jakub Dobeš established himself as the starter over Ryan Snowden. Ohio State was able to use stellar performances from the Czech goalie to dramatically exceed expectations for the year.
After beginning their conference schedule, OSU swept Penn State and then earned splits with Michigan, Minnesota and Notre Dame, all ranked teams. While their record wasn't particularly outstanding by the end of December, Ohio State had played well enough to rise up to 17th in the ranking, putting them in a prime position to make the NCAA Tournament. In the first half of the year, Ohio State's offense was clicking along at more than three goals per game and was performing very consistently, being held under 3 goals on just five occasions.
The Buckeyes played even better after the Winter Break, losing just once in twelve games. While their opponents weren't particularly strong, OSU was able to get up to 8th in the polls and, more importantly, they were in the top 10 of the PairWise rankings. All the Buckeyes needed to guarantee themselves a spot in the tournament was a win or two in the final few weeks of the season but, just as they were ready to make postseason plans, the wheels came off.
Ohio State's final two opponents were top two teams in the conference, Minnesota and Michigan. Both were playing at a very high level while the Buckeyes were seemingly coasting into the conference tournament. The OSU offense, a strength all season, failed. The team scored just 6 goals in 4 games. Worse, Dobeš didn't play particularly well as the team allowed 8 goals against in both weekends and were swept by both teams. The four consecutive losses could not have come at a worse time, dropping Ohio State down the rankings, but the team's postseason hopes were still alive due to the strength of their conquerors.
Ohio State sat 13th in the PairWise as they began the Big Ten Tournament. While the top 10 were automatically qualified for the NCAA tournament, the next 6 could receive bids based on postseason results. As long as Ohio State got out of the conference quarterfinals, they would likely receive an at-large bid. Their opponent, Penn State, had had a dreadful conference season; despite being just one place behind the Buckeyes, PSU was 22 points lower in the standings. The first game went to script for OSU as the offense seemed to get back on track but it was the defense that looked to be a problem. While they won 4–3, Ohio State allowed 52 shots against and that trend continued over the next two games. Penn State carried the bulk of the play, outshooting the Buckeyes by at least 10 in each of the three games. While Ohio State was able to score in the first match, they faltered in games 2 and 3, allowing the Nittany Lions to win both and potting themselves on the postseason bubble.
After losing the series, Ohio State was dropped down to 15 in the PairWise. Because none of the Atlantic Hockey teams were in the top 16, that was the lowest possible position that could make the tournament. Ohio State could only wait and hope that there were no upsets for any of the five other conference championships. The next week the team got a slight boost when both the Big Ten and NCHC all advanced teams that were guaranteed bids to their respective championships but they had to hold their breath as spoilers from the CCHA, ECAC and Hockey East continued. On the final day of conference play, Ohio State needed each of those three championship games to go a specific way but they could only get two. When Harvard won the ECAC championship, Ohio State was knocked out and their season was over.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Layton Ahac | Defenseman | Canada | Signed professional contract (Vegas Golden Knights) |
| Ryan Dickinson | Defenseman | United States | Transferred to Oswego State |
| Eugene Fadyeyev | Forward | Ukraine | Graduation (signed with Fayetteville Marksmen) |
| Matthew Jennings | Forward | United States | Transferred to St. Thomas |
| Evan Moyse | Goaltender | United States | Graduation (signed with Birmingham Bulls) |
| Tommy Nappier | Goaltender | United States | Graduation (signed with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins) |
| Collin Peters | Forward | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Austin Pooley | Forward | Canada | Graduation (retired) |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Eric Cooley | Forward | United States | 23 | Pittsburgh, PA; graduate transfer from Niagara |
| Jakub Dobeš | Goaltender | Czech Republic | 20 | Havířov, CZE; selected 136th overall in 2020 |
| Reilly Herbst | Goaltender | United States | 21 | Niwot, CO |
| Mason Lohrei | Defenseman | United States | 20 | Baton Rouge, LA; selected 58th overall in 2020 |
| Cole McWard | Defenseman | United States | 20 | Fenton, MO |
| Georgii Merkulov | Forward | Russia | 20 | Ryazan, RUS |
| Will Riedell | Defenseman | United States | 24 | Greensboro, NC; graduate transfer from Lake Superior State |
| Camden Thiesing | Forward | United States | 20 | Franklin, TN |
| Jake Wise | Forward | United States | 21 | Reading, MA; transfer from Boston University; selected 69th overall in 2018 |

## Roster

As of August 23, 2021.

## Standings

2021–22 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 Minnesota † | 24 | 18 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 55 | 90 | 50 | 39 | 26 | 13 | 0 | 138 | 91 |
| #2 Michigan * | 24 | 16 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 51 | 91 | 59 | 42 | 31 | 10 | 1 | 167 | 94 |
| #9 Notre Dame | 24 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 74 | 55 | 40 | 28 | 12 | 0 | 122 | 75 |
| #16 Ohio State | 24 | 13 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 42 | 76 | 59 | 37 | 22 | 13 | 2 | 125 | 87 |
| Penn State | 24 | 6 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 63 | 92 | 38 | 17 | 20 | 1 | 117 | 122 |
| Wisconsin | 24 | 6 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 53 | 96 | 37 | 10 | 24 | 3 | 76 | 132 |
| Michigan State | 24 | 6 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 51 | 87 | 36 | 12 | 23 | 1 | 76 | 119 |
| Championship: March 19, 2022 † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; updated April 7, 2022 |||||||||||||||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Rank$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Exhibition ||||||||||
| October 2 | 4:00 PM | Western Michigan* | | Value City Arena • Columbus, OH | | | L 1–3 | | |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| October 8 | 7:05 PM | at Bentley* | | Bentley Arena • Waltham, MA | | Snowden | L 1–2 | 1,585 | 0–1–0 |
| October 9 | 6:05 PM | at Bentley* | | Bentley Arena • Waltham, MA | | Dobeš | W 7–1 | 1,359 | 1–1–0 |
| October 15 | 7:05 PM | Connecticut* | | Value City Arena • Columbus, OH | | Snowden | W 4–3 $^{OT}$ | 2,775 | 2–1–0 |
| October 16 | 3:05 PM | Connecticut* | | Value City Arena • Columbus, OH | | Dobeš | W 3–0 | 2,446 | 3–1–0 |
| October 29 | 6:00 PM | Michigan State | | Value City Arena • Columbus, OH | | Dobeš | L 1–2 | 3,324 | 3–2–0 (0–1–0) |
| October 30 | 2:00 PM | Michigan State | | Value City Arena • Columbus, OH | | Dobeš | W 5–1 | 2,826 | 4–2–0 (1–1–0) |
| November 5 | 7:00 PM | #16 Penn State | | Value City Arena • Columbus, OH | | Dobeš | W 5–2 | 4,376 | 5–2–0 (2–1–0) |
| November 6 | 5:00 PM | #16 Penn State | | Value City Arena • Columbus, OH | | Dobeš | W 4–1 | 3,941 | 6–2–0 (3–1–0) |
| November 12 | 7:30 PM | at #6 Minnesota | #18 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN | BSN | Dobeš | W 4–3 | 7,511 | 7–2–0 (4–1–0) |
| November 13 | 6:00 PM | at #6 Minnesota | #18 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN | BSN | Dobeš | L 0–2 | 7,294 | 7–3–0 (4–2–0) |
| November 26 | 5:00 PM | Mercyhurst* | #17 | Value City Arena • Columbus, OH | | Dobeš | L 4–5 | 3,277 | 7–4–0 |
| November 27 | 5:00 PM | Mercyhurst* | #17 | Value City Arena • Columbus, OH | | Dobeš | W 3–2 | 2,554 | 8–4–0 |
| December 3 | 7:30 PM | at #8 Notre Dame | #18 | Compton Family Ice Arena • Notre Dame, IN | NBCSN | Dobeš | W 4–2 | 4,343 | 9–4–0 (5–2–0) |
| December 4 | 6:00 PM | at #8 Notre Dame | #18 | Compton Family Ice Arena • Notre Dame, IN | NBCRN | Dobeš | L 1–5 | 5,117 | 9–5–0 (5–3–0) |
| December 10 | 7:00 PM | #3 Michigan | #17 | Value City Arena • Columbus, OH | BTN | Dobeš | L 2–5 | 7,324 | 9–6–0 (5–4–0) |
| December 11 | 8:00 PM | #3 Michigan | #17 | Value City Arena • Columbus, OH | BTN | Dobeš | W 6–1 | 6,928 | 10–6–0 (6–4–0) |
| December 16 | 7:00 PM | Bowling Green* | #17 | Value City Arena • Columbus, OH | BTN | Dobeš | W 4–3 $^{OT}$ | 5,232 | 11–6–0 |
| December 17 | 7:07 PM | at Bowling Green* | #17 | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, OH | | Dobeš | W 3–2 | 5,000 | 12–6–0 |
| December 31 | 7:05 PM | Long Island* | #17 | Value City Arena • Columbus, OH | | Dobeš | W 6–0 | 2,958 | 13–6–0 |
| January 1 | 7:05 PM | Long Island* | #17 | Value City Arena • Columbus, OH | | Snowden | W 7–2 | 2,621 | 14–6–0 |
| January 8 | 6:00 PM | at Wisconsin | #17 | Kohl Center • Madison, WI | BSW+ | Dobeš | W 5–3 | 10,653 | 15–6–0 (7–4–0) |
| January 9 | 3:00 PM | at Wisconsin | #17 | Kohl Center • Madison, WI | BSW | Dobeš | T 2–2 $^{SOW}$ | 7,837 | 15–6–1 (7–4–1) |
| January 14 | 7:00 PM | #13 Notre Dame | #16 | Value City Arena • Columbus, OH | | Dobeš | L 2–3 $^{OT}$ | 8,350 | 15–7–1 (7–5–1) |
| January 15 | 8:00 PM | #13 Notre Dame | #16 | Value City Arena • Columbus, OH | BTN | Dobeš | W 4–1 | 6,114 | 16–7–1 (8–5–1) |
| January 21 | 7:00 PM | at Michigan State | #15 | Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, MI | | Dobeš | W 4–1 | 4,728 | 17–7–1 (9–5–1) |
| January 22 | 6:00 PM | at Michigan State | #15 | Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, MI | | Dobeš | W 3–2 | 6,203 | 18–7–1 (10–5–1) |
| January 28 | 7:00 PM | at Penn State | #12 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, PA | | Dobeš | T 2–2 $^{SOL}$ | 6,059 | 18–7–2 (10–5–2) |
| January 29 | 7:00 PM | at Penn State | #12 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, PA | | Dobeš | W 6–0 | 6,229 | 19–7–2 (11–5–2) |
| February 4 | 7:00 PM | Wisconsin | #9 | Value City Arena • Columbus, OH | | Dobeš | W 4–3 $^{OT}$ | 4,743 | 20–7–2 (12–5–2) |
| February 5 | 8:00 PM | Wisconsin | #9 | Value City Arena • Columbus, OH | BTN | Dobeš | W 6–2 | 4,592 | 21–7–2 (13–5–2) |
| February 11 | 6:30 PM | #7 Minnesota | #8 | Value City Arena • Columbus, OH | BTN | Dobeš | L 2–3 | 6,008 | 21–8–2 (13–6–2) |
| February 12 | 6:00 PM | #7 Minnesota | #8 | Value City Arena • Columbus, OH | BTN | Dobeš | L 1–5 | 6,208 | 21–9–2 (13–7–2) |
| February 18 | 7:30 PM | at #2 Michigan | #11 | Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, MI | | Dobeš | L 3–5 | 5,800 | 21–10–2 (13–8–2) |
| February 19 | 8:30 PM | at #2 Michigan | #11 | Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, MI | BTN | Dobeš | L 0–3 | 5,800 | 21–11–2 (13–9–2) |
| Big Ten Tournament ||||||||||
| March 4 | 7:00 PM | Penn State* | #12 | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio (Quarterfinal game 1) | | Dobeš | W 4–3 | 2,039 | 22–11–2 |
| March 5 | 7:00 PM | Penn State* | #12 | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio (Quarterfinal game 2) | | Dobeš | L 2–3 | 2,198 | 22–12–2 |
| March 6 | 8:00 PM | Penn State* | #12 | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio (Quarterfinal game 3) | | Dobeš | L 1–2 | 1,188 | 22–13–2 |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. Source: ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Georgi Merkulov | F | 36 | 20 | 14 | 34 | 10 |
| Mason Lohrei | D | 31 | 4 | 25 | 29 | 20 |
| Jake Wise | C | 35 | 10 | 18 | 28 | 2 |
| Cam Thiesing | C | 37 | 8 | 17 | 25 | 53 |
| Grant Gabriele | D | 37 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 12 |
| Quinn Preston | F | 31 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 55 |
| Gustaf Westlund | C | 37 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 38 |
| Kamil Sadlocha | C | 37 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 25 |
| Cole McWard | D | 36 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 2 |
| Tate Singleton | F | 37 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 28 |
| Travis Treloar | C | 36 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 4 |
| Joseph Dunlap | F | 32 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 28 |
| Mark Cheremeta | LW | 33 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 8 |
| Patrick Guzzo | C/LW | 31 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 16 |
| Eric Cooley | RW | 35 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 4 |
| Will Riedell | D | 33 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 31 |
| Ryan O'Connell | D | 30 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| James Marooney | D | 31 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 33 |
| Michael Gildon | LW | 16 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Dominic Vidoli | D | 19 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 |
| Jaedon Leslie | F | 28 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 8 |
| Matthew Cassidy | RW | 12 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 21 |
| Dalton Messina | F | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Jakub Dobeš | G | 35 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| C. J. Regula | D | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Evan McIntyre | D | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Ryan Snowden | G | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bench | - | - | - | - | - | 14 |
| Total | | | 125 | 212 | 337 | 444 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Jakub Dobeš | 35 | 2043 | 21 | 12 | 2 | 77 | 1086 | 3 | .934 | 2.26 |
| Ryan Snowden | 6 | 181 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 78 | 0 | .918 | 2.31 |
| Empty Net | - | 15 | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 37 | 2240 | 22 | 13 | 2 | 87 | 1164 | 3 | .930 | 2.33 |

## 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 |
| 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 (Final) |
| USCHO.com | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 16 | - | 16 |
| USA Today | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | 14 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | 15 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 15 | NR | NR | NR | NR |
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in week 24.

## Awards and honors

| Player | Award |
| Jakub Dobeš | Big Ten Goaltender of the Year |
| Jakub Dobeš | Big Ten Freshman of the Year |
| Jakub Dobeš | Big Ten First Team |
| Georgii Merkulov | Big Ten First Team |
| Jakub Dobeš | Big Ten Rookie Team |
| Mason Lohrei | Big Ten Rookie Team |
| Georgii Merkulov | Big Ten Rookie Team |

## Players drafted into the NHL
### 2022 NHL Entry Draft

| Round | Pick | Player | NHL team |
| 4 | 104 | Stephen Halliday$^†$ | Ottawa Senators |
† incoming freshman