February 19, 1982: Ohio 2 at Penn State 7
February 20, 1982: Ohio 4 at Penn State 10
March 2, 1983: Penn State 5 vs. Ohio 4 (National Championship Club Hockey Tournament at Huntsville, AL) - In the first of many meetings with national championship stakes in play and at the second-ever national collegiate club tournament, the Dave Hornack, Glenn DeStefano and Joe Grainda-captained Icers take a narrow decision to open their tournament run. PSU would go on to lose a heartbreaker to host Alabama-Huntsville in the final by an identical 5-4 score on a game-winning goal that took an unfortunate bounce off of goalie John Davis and barely trickled over the line.
January 20, 1984: Penn State 5 at Ohio 6 (OT)
January 21, 1984: Penn State 6 at Ohio 7 (OT)
January 19, 1985: Ohio 5 at Penn State 6 (OT) (Nittany Lion Invitational)
January 18, 1986: Ohio 5 at Penn State 4 (OT) (Nittany Lion Invitational) - In the fourth straight overtime game between the teams, Ohio gets revenge for Penn State's OT win for the 1985 NLIT title. The Icers enjoyed a 4-1 lead into the third period on the strength of three Jeff Speece assists, but the Bobcats stormed all the way back, then won on a power play goal in overtime just after PSU failed to convert on an advantage.
February 14, 1986: Penn State 3 at Ohio 5
February 15, 1986: Penn State 3 at Ohio 7
March 14, 1986: Penn State 3 vs. Ohio 7 (National Invitational at Tucson, AZ)
March 12, 1987: Penn State 4 vs. Ohio 3 (National Invitational at Fargo, ND)
March 6, 1988: Penn State 0 vs. Ohio 11 (National Invitational at Tucson, AZ)
March 1, 1990: Penn State 5 vs. Ohio 3 (National Invitational at Athens, OH) - The Icers stun host Ohio, a heavy favorite, in the 1990 NIT at OU's Bird Arena in one of the seminal victories of Joe Battista's early years as head coach. The Bobcats were 24-1-0 and hadn't lost at home in three years, while PSU was only seeded sixth in the eight team field. However, Geoff Martha scored late in the first period to tie the game at three, and John Ioia's second-period power play goal would prove the winner. John Gray made 49 saves, shutting Ohio out after the first period. PSU would go on to win its second national championship two days later by beating Iowa State.
March 2, 1991: Penn State 3 vs. Ohio 2 (National Invitational at Tucson, AZ)
January 24, 1992: Ohio 5 at Penn State 4 (OT) (Nittany Lion Invitational)
February 26, 1992: Penn State 7 vs. Ohio 1 (ACHA Tourn. at State College, PA)
November 7, 1992: Penn State 7 at Ohio 2 (Ohio Invitational)
November 5, 1993: Ohio 4 at Penn State 2
March 4, 1995: Penn State 0 vs. Ohio 4 (ACHA Tournament at Tucson, AZ) - For the first time, the Icers and Bobcats meet in a national championship game, with Ohio dispatching top-seeded PSU and taking home the Murdoch Cup behind Mike Lee's shutout - the only time Penn State was blanked all season.
November 15, 1996: Ohio 4 at Penn State 2
January 8, 1997: Penn State 2 at Ohio 3
October 31, 1997: Ohio 4 at Penn State 6
February 13, 1998: Penn State 3 at Ohio 3
March 7, 1998: Penn State 5 vs. Ohio 1 (ACHA Tournament at Ames, IA) - The Icers end Ohio's national championship string at three, as Rob Shaner scored three times and added an assist in a somewhat anticlimactic title game between the tournament's top two seeds. "We didn't just want to win the championship for us, but for the teams over the past three or four years that went (to the final rounds) and were not healthy," Battista would say afterward.
October 23, 1998: Ohio 2 at Penn State 4
October 24, 1998: Ohio 0 at Penn State 2
February 12, 1999: Penn State 1 at Ohio 1
February 13, 1999: Penn State 3 at Ohio 1
October 29, 1999: Ohio 2 at Penn State 3
October 30, 1999: Ohio 0 at Penn State 4
February 11, 2000: Penn State 2 at Ohio 4
February 12, 2000: Penn State 2 at Ohio 5
October 27, 2000: Ohio 2 at Penn State 6
October 28, 2000: Ohio 2 at Penn State 2
February 9, 2001: Penn State 6 at Ohio 2
February 10, 2001: Penn State 1 at Ohio 2 (OT)
October 19, 2001: Ohio 2 at Penn State 4
October 20, 2001: Ohio 2 at Penn State 2
February 8, 2002: Penn State 3 at Ohio 6
February 9, 2002: Penn State 2 at Ohio 5
October 25, 2002: Ohio 1 at Penn State 7
October 26, 2002: Ohio 3 at Penn State 9
January 10, 2003: Penn State 7 at Ohio 4
January 11, 2003: Penn State 2 at Ohio 2
March 2, 2003: Penn State 5 vs. Ohio 0 (ACHA Tournament at Athens, OH) - The Icers flatten Ohio at Bird Arena to win a fourth straight - and final, as it would turn out - ACHA national championship. Scott Graham posted a 31-save shutout, while Kevin Jaeger scored twice. Curtiss Patrick, Jack Weber and Paul Crooker had the other goals.
October 17, 2003: Ohio 3 at Penn State 7
October 18, 2003: Ohio 3 at Penn State 5
February 9, 2004: Penn State 2 at Ohio 4
February 10, 2004: Penn State 2 at Ohio 4
March 7, 2004: Penn State 4 vs. Ohio 5 (ACHA Tournament at Ames, IA) - Tony Arkeilpane's goal - which bounced off of PSU forward Justin DePretis' stick and past goalie Scott Blackman - with 2:56 left gives the Bobcats their fourth national championship, while halting the Icers' title streak. In winning, OU gets some measure of revenge not only for the previous season, but also for 1998 when PSU ended Ohio's dynasty.
October 29, 2004: Ohio 3 at Penn State 4 (OT) and October 30, 2004: Ohio 3 at Penn State 4 (OT) - In the first series following the 2004 national championship game disappointment, and with Ice Pavilion fans donning white "We OU 1" t-shirts, the Icers sweep one of the more dramatic weekends in PSU hockey history. Michael McMullen is Friday's overtime hero, as he swooped down left wing, cut to the middle and pushed a second effort past OU goalie Ryan Baksh. The next night, Jaeger scored the winner when Mike Carrano's lob pass over the defense hit the diminutive forward in stride for a breakaway, allowing him to complete a hat trick in the best way possible.
January 7, 2005: Penn State 1 at Ohio 3
January 8, 2005: Penn State 2 at Ohio 1
March 5, 2005: Penn State 3 vs. Ohio 1 (ACHA Tournament at Bensenville, IL)
November 11, 2005: Ohio 1 at Penn State 0
November 12, 2005: Ohio 4 at Penn State 5
February 10, 2006: Penn State 2 at Ohio 3 (OT)
February 11, 2006: Penn State 1 at Ohio 3
October 27, 2006: Ohio 0 at Penn State 1
October 28, 2006: Ohio 1 at Penn State 3
February 9, 2007: Penn State 1 at Ohio 4
February 10, 2007: Penn State 3 at Ohio 2
October 19, 2007: Ohio 4 at Penn State 3 (SO)
October 20, 2007: Ohio 0 at Penn State 3
January 11, 2008: Penn State 2 at Ohio 0
January 12, 2008: Penn State 6 at Ohio 7 (SO)
October 31, 2008: Ohio 3 at Penn State 4
November 1, 2008: Ohio 2 at Penn State 4
January 9, 2009: Penn State 4 at Ohio 0
January 10, 2009: Penn State 5 at Ohio 3
March 15, 2009: Penn State 3 vs. Ohio 2 (OT) (ACHA Tournament at Gates Mills, OH) - In what would turn out to be the rivalry's final installment at a national championship tournament, Frank Berry - whose season looked to be over after a knee injury one month earlier - scores a spectacular overtime goal to propel the Icers to the semifinals. Berry took a defensive draw himself and sped up the ice, swinging over to Jamie Zimmel on left wing as he exited the PSU zone. Zimmel then gave it back to Berry on the doorstep to finish. Ohio had scored twice in the third period to force the game beyond 60 minutes.
October 9, 2009: Penn State 1 at Ohio 2
October 10, 2009: Penn State 4 at Ohio 3 (OT) - Steve Thurston puts home a setup from a circling Dom Morrone just as the horn to end overtime sounds, boosting Penn State over OU. The win looked unlikely after a third-period melee resulted in a lengthy 5-on-3 for the hosts, who do capitalize through Jake Holzemer to force the extra period (a second Holzemer goal, which would have won the game with 14 seconds left, is waved off). "There's nothing better than that feeling, Thurston said. "I hate Ohio, and I know they hate me, and it was a grind all weekend, so to finally get that win was a big relief."
January 15, 2010: Ohio 1 at Penn State 3
January 16, 2010: Ohio 2 at Penn State 3
October 22, 2010: Ohio 1 at Penn State 3
October 23, 2010: Ohio 6 at Penn State 3
January 7, 2011: Penn State 1 at Ohio 4
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| Linemates Michael Schultz (left) and Tyler Pilmore shredded the Icers in January, 2011. |
January 8, 2011: Penn State 2 at Ohio 5 - The Bobcats, in their last win of the series, finish a dominating sweep at Bird Arena by crushing the Icers behind Michael Schultz's hat trick. The series is a decided low point in PSU's season - it nearly causes the Icers to miss the national championship tournament for the first time since the ACHA's founding, and in the first year following the school's announcement of its elevation to NCAA. On the weekend, Schultz scores five times with two assists, while linemate Tyler Pilmore adds a goal and four assists.
October 21, 2011: Ohio 1 at Penn State 7
October 22, 2011: Ohio 3 at Penn State 5
January 27, 2012: Penn State 2 at Ohio 1
January 28, 2012: Penn State 4 at Ohio 1
February 1, 2013: Penn State vs. Ohio (at Hershey, PA)
February 2, 2013: Ohio at Penn State
Penn State Wins
at Greenberg Ice Pavilion (regular season): 27
at Bird Arena (regular season): 12
at national championship tournaments: 9
Ohio Wins
at Greenberg Ice Pavilion (regular season): 7
at Bird Arena (regular season): 20
at national championship tournaments: 4
Ties
at Greenberg Ice Pavilion: 2
at Bird Arena: 3
Great piece. At some point during the the third period I actually began to feel sorry for Ohio last night. The are clearly talented -- for the ACHA. But we are just bigger, stronger and faster than they are. And it really felt at that moment like the end of an era.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Good call on that - even last year when we won, I still consider OU to be the first team to expose our inability to curb stomp the entire ACHA, in that 10/22/2011 game. We then played two close games in Athens, although after we had already lost to Delaware, Liberty and UCO, so it was kind of beyond the point by then. But that 10/22 game was the first time I said "heeeey..." I think that 11-0 win over Illinois had us a little crazy anyway.
DeleteWe'll see what happens with Oklahoma, but I've sort of felt all along that ASU was the one school of the three that had a legitimate chance of pulling one out. They haven't been all that great lately - and actually lost to Oklahoma a couple weeks ago - but on talent level/ability to compete with a DI team, they're in a class by themselves among ACHA schools. I'd put Ohio last of the three.
Still hoping there can be an exhibition exemption for the ACHA somewhere down the line. As long as hockey keeps growing faster than NCAA DI (almost a given), ACHA will become more and more competitive...in any case, I'd rather play them once a year than Wilfrid Laurier or Waterloo or whatever CIS school if they're up for it.
Joe Battista - How I loved heckling him from the top of the Blueline section of Bird Arena in the late 90s. Great rivalry. Thanks for the blog.
ReplyDelete