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Ohio State's arena shows state of Buckeye hockey program

COLUMBUS -- Size isn't everything, but it sure says a lot sometimes.

If there is any question about the status of the football and hockey programs at Ohio State, all anybody has to do is look at the facilities.

Ohio Stadium is so big, there is a residence hall inside.

OSU Ice Rink is so small, it can't even fit its own Zamboni.

The Buckeyes have never really been big on hockey. Football is the show in Columbus, and few kids in the area grow up dreaming of glory on the ice.

"This is my first hockey game, but I've been to football games before," said Kevin Hale, 9, of Columbus. "I'm just here because of my mom."

Brenda Hale really didn't want to come to Friday's Ohio State-Michigan game either. Even though she went to Ohio State in the late '60s, she isn't a big supporter of the hockey team. She only came at the urging of her neighbor.

"I told her how much fun it was when I went to school, and I brought her out," said Judy Rollenhagen, a 1970 Michigan graduate. "Hockey was always fun."

It hasn't been at Ohio State. The Buckeyes are perennial cellar-dwellers in the CCHA and, even though they tied the Wolverines, 4-4 on Friday, have had trouble beating their archrival, Michigan. Ohio State has not beaten the Wolverines in Columbus since 1989.

The Buckeyes' lack of success is mirrored in their arena. The Ohio State Athletic Department hasn't put enough money into hockey to make it first class, Ohio State coach John Markell said.

"It just hasn't been a high priority for this school," Markell said. "Football has a lot. Basketball has a lot. And we don't."

The ice the Buckeyes are forced to tread on is considered by many players as the worst in the CCHA. It resembles a frozen pond in late March, soft and slushy on the surface, dirty from overuse and looking like it might become a swimming hole at any time.

Sitting in just the eighth row behind the net, a fan is at the rafters. It's pretty hard to see from there too, because the glass looks like it was washed after Ohio State's last win over Michigan.

The boards need repair, especially the Zamboni doors. At one point in Friday's game, the puck slipped between panes of glass.

Reporters need to walk through the benches to get to the ladder they have to climb to get to the press box. The Zamboni must park outside. And if fans want stale nachos, they have to go to St. John Arena, the basketball venue, to get them.

"The puck hit the ceiling, enough said," Dave Mangelos, a Michigan alum, pointed out.

The fans are almost as sparse as the patches of good ice. Michigan had as many of the 1,578 fans Friday as Ohio State. And the Buckeyes acted as if they had stepped into a library for the first time.

"I didn't expect it to be this quiet, being Ohio State-Michigan," said Mike Pniewski, a Michigan senior.

There is hope for the Buckeyes, however. Since OSU Ice Rink is one of only three hockey facilities in the Columbus area -- the others are at the State Fairgrounds and the zoo -- Ohio State is building a new arena. It should be completed in three years.

"It should give our program a boost," Markell said. "It will be a much-needed boost. You need a good building to play well, to get to the next level."