As Strong As Ever

The WCHA is the toughest conference in women’s college hockey.

That statement is not debatable.

Every national champion has come from the conference. And last week five of the top nine teams in the country were from the WCHA, including Ohio State at No.9.

Now keep in mind there are only eight teams in the conference.

If the Buckeyes ever needed a reminder they play in the best conference in the country, and I don’t think they did, they sure got one this weekend.

Ohio State lost Friday 5-3 and were outscored 3-0 and outshot 19-5 in the third period.

Saturday the Buckeyes lost 4-3 after battling back to tie it after a 3-0 first period defecate.

Ohio State was swept in Columbus by a WCHA opponent.

That WCHA opponent was unranked Minnesota State, a team that most people would have picked to lose both games.

However, the Mavericks proved once again there is not a single WCHA team that can be taken lightly and that any team can win any weekend.

Playing against the best teams and players in the country every weekend causes every team to get better.

With the new 3-point standing system more points will be rewarded this year than in any other year. In other words expect a logjam in the standings.

You are always expected to beat the teams below you in the standings, but if the first month of the season has taught us anything it is to throw out the standings.

The WCHA is the best conference in the country. Twenty Conference games so far have been decided by two goals or less this season. It is a tough battle every night for the players, but for the fans it is going to be a fun ride.

Jets Win Nailbiter in Cleavland

Santoinio Holmes's 37 yard TD reception sealed a too close for comfort game against The Cleavland Browns today. The Jets are now 7-2 overall and an impressive 5-0 on the road.

"You talk about how resilient this football team is; that's two wins in a row,
on the road in overtime" said head coach Rex Ryan.

Sanchez had an alarming injured calf, but fought through it to lead the Jets to victory,

"This was an easy game to lose" said Mark Sanchez, "One mistake could've lost it.
but we were resilient for another week."

In a bizarre game that saw the Jets trail 10-3 after a Phil Dawson kick in the second quarter and Jets kicker Nick Folk miss a career high 3 Field Goals that could've all but put this game away in regulation if he'd made those three, the Jets, like in Detroit was able to pull away a win. The Jets now go back home to face the Texans where Mark Sanchez saw his first NFL win last year. The Jets hope to start fast and finish strong and not have to rally back for a win for this upcoming game. With the win today The Jets continue to keep pace in the division (staying 1st for one more week) as the Patriots loom over the Jets for the divison.

Great Weekend To Be A Buckeye

If you go to Ohio State and don't follow their major sports (football and basketball), you may have still had a good weekend. But if you DO follow the teams, you're weekend was guaranteed to be awesome. I started off my weekend on Friday night by going to the Men's basketball home opener against North Carolina A&T. The game was a blowout as expected, but it was a good experience to see the new freshman class, as well as the veterans that should lead Ohio State to a pretty solid year. All of the returners played as I had expected they would (exceptionally well). I was particularly impressed with what Deshaun Thomas did coming off the bench. 24 points, including 2/3 from 3-point land. This team definitely has more depth than last year's, and could be more balanced. I would also like to mention that the NutHouse seats behind the benches are great. I look for big things to come.

Saturday morning I woke up around 7:30AM to eat breakfast with a few friends, and then we went to see "ESPN College Gameday" outside of the Horseshoe. The atmosphere around the stage as well as the atmosphere all day around the stadium was something special. It truly puts it into perspective that there aren't many better places to witness sports than at The Ohio State University.

I haven't even talked about the game yet. The stadium was hyped for the game, as was I, and the Buckeyes came out a little flat. The first half was rough,I was nervous. I was ready to prepare for my first in-person loss of my Ohio State fanhood. I should have known better, as the Bucks rallied to score some 35 unanswered points in the 2nd half. The night atmosphere along with the crazy excitement of a comeback was the perfect recipe for a great Saturday night experience. The stadium was rockin' for Torrence and Howard's pick-6's, as well as the incredible catch by Sanzenbacher off the tipped pass to Posey. If that play isn't the #1 play on SportsCenter, then ESPN is sleeping.

It was a good weekend all around to be a student at The Ohio State University. As a lifelong fan, I am truly living the dream.

Buckeyes Win Thriller in Double Overtime, Advance to Second Round of NCAA Tournament

It was a long match for Ohio State, but the end result was well-worth it as the Buckeyes beat the St. Francis Red Flash 1-0 in double overtime at the Jesse Friday night.

Despite having the huge advantage in shots (38-2) and corner kicks (19-1), Ohio State had a tough time putting the ball in the back of the net. Cassie Dickerson had an opportunity in the 32nd minute when she drilled a shot off a corner that St. Francis goalkeeper Lauren Fearer made a diving save on. The Buckeyes came out with guns ablazing in the second half as they recorded eight shots in the first 15 minutes in the second period. Danica Wu was thwarted by another great save by Fearer and Kristen Niederhaus had a shot from 20 yards out that just deflected off the crossbar.

In the 74th minute, Tiffany Cameron got behind the Red Flash defense and had a great scoring opportunity when Fearer ran out of her box and made yet another great save as Cameron loaded up for a shot. Cameron than had another opportunity in the first overtime when she attempted a shot within the 6 yard box, but missed it wide right.

The Buckeyes would have to wait until the second overtime period for victory when junior captain Danielle Scoliere scored in the 106th minute. Scoliere was able to convert a shot from inside the six yard box off of a beautiful cross from Lauren Granberg. It was the first goal that Scoliere had ever scored as a Buckeye.

With the win, Ohio State advances to the second round of the 2010 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship. They will take on either Virginia Tech or Dayton on Sunday afternoon at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium at 1:00 pm.

Men's Hockey Dominates Chargers in Two-Game Sweep

In Ohio State men's hockey's first home series of the 2010-11 season, the Buckeyes were dominant in two straight games over the Alabama-Huntsville Chargers, winning 6-2 on Friday and 5-1 on Saturday.

Friday's 6-2 win featured a four-point performance from junior C Danny Dries including three assists, and two goals from linemate and senior F Peter Boyd.

Thanks to some stout Ohio State defense, the Buckeyes held UAH to just 15 shots on goal while putting 41 shots on Chargers G Clarke Saunders.

Saturday night, it took the Buckeyes until late in the second period to pull away from the Chargers, winning 5-1 while committing 8 minor penalties.

G Cal Heeter played strong once again for the Buckeyes, stopping 20 of 21 shots outdoing UAH G C.J. Groh, who stopped 44 of 49 despite the latter making a spectacular save on Dries by extending his stick to stop what looked like an easy goal for Ohio State.

The Buckeyes were able to gradually wear down the Chargers through the course of the game, methodically expanding the lead after giving it up early in the second period.

Ohio State's record went to 4-5 following the two victories, and the Chargers fell to 1-8-1.

Coming up next for Ohio State is a two-game series at East Lansing against CCHA and Big Ten rival Michigan State this weekend.