2. The Buckeyes will not be ignored.

Ohio State began the second half by capturing the Florida College Classic title just before the new year began and used those wins to propel them to a five-game unbeaten streak (3-0-2), but an 8-6 loss to Michigan Jan. 17 snapped that, and the Buckeyes fell in overtime to the Nittany Lions on Friday night, 3-2.

Saturday was another story, entirely. Senior captain Craig Dalrymple scored at 3:30 in the first period and Ohio State went on to a 5-1 win over Penn State, with five different Buckeyes scoring in the contest. In fact, the Buckeyes — like the Gophers — like to spread that scoring around; six different Buckeyes accounted for the seven total goals that OSU scored in the weekend, and with that offensive output, the Buckeyes improve to an average of 3.32 goals per game (14th nationally). Of course, they’re still allowing 3.18 goals per game and are among the bottom third of teams on defense nationally, but so are four of the six B1G teams, so that may not be a factor in conference play down the stretch.

In the second half, the Buckeyes have impressed me as a highly skilled and fast team. Against Penn State, OSU may have proven that it is a team to contend with in conference play.

Source: USCHO.com Blogs :: Big Ten Blog :: U.S. College Hockey Online