The Stage is Set for the Ohio State and Michigan's 'Faceoff on the Lake'

The Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines take hockey outside on February 18 for the first time since 2012.

Author:
Caleb Spinner
Feb 8, 2023 11:00 AM EST

The Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines men's hockey teams will take college sports' greatest rivalry outside for the first time in over a decade when they take part in "Faceoff on the Lake" on February 18 at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland.

The home of the National Football League's Cleveland Browns has begun to reflect the coming game by painting the endzones scarlet and gray and maize and blue respectively. "Ohio State" and "Michigan" is written horizontally in the school's trademark fonts as well, reminiscent of each school's football stadiums.

The dimensions of a college hockey rink are 200 feet in length and 100 feet wide, which is significantly smaller than those of a football field, which measures 360 feet by 160 feet. Thus, there is still room for more logos or painted elements to be added around the ice before the opening faceoff.

The Buckeyes and Wolverines will meet two days before making the trip to Cleveland for a game at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will air on Big Ten Plus and the Ohio State Radio Network.

Ohio State and Michigan are currently ranked among the top ten teams in the country, according to the United States College Hockey Organization.

The Buckeyes and Wolverines have already shared the ice once this season in Ann Arbor, Michigan on January 13 and 14 in the Yost Ice Arena. The games celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Michigan men's hockey program and resulted in a series split after the Buckeyes won the first contest 7-2 and the Wolverines prevailed 4-2 in the second.

The No. 5 Wolverines travel to East Lansing, Michigan for a pair of games Friday and Saturday against their in-state rival, the No. 15 Michigan State Spartans. The weekend matchups conclude with the annual "Dual in the D" in Detroit, Michigan at Little Caesar's Arena, home of the National Hockey League's Detroit Red Wings.

The No. 7 Buckeyes head to the Compton Family Ice Arena in South Bend, Indiana Friday and Saturday for two games against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.