Yes, I know this isn't Michigan hockey per se, but it's CCHA action, and I know there's enough hockey fans out there to make this worthwhile -- and I'm sure there's even more of you who love to see tOSU taken down a peg regardless of the sport. Full writeup: http://www.newsminer.com/news/2009/jan/31/nanooks-get-jump-buckeyes-4-1… Anyways, Friday night's Ohio State/UAF hockey game here in Fairbanks wasn't even close. The Nanooks jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first period, tacked on another goal in the first half of the second period, and broke things open in the third by scoring two goals. Ohio State managed a single goal in the third period to avoid the crushing shutout. What makes this so shocking (for those of you unfamiliar with UAF this year) is that the Nooks' offense has been atrocious and near the bottom of the CCHA. Their defense, on the other hand, is No. 2 in the country. Basically, what Virginia Tech is to football, UAF is to hockey right now. But Ohio State did have an excuse -- the legendary Alaska home-ice advantage. I'm not talking about the great fans we have here, though that is important -- I'm talking about the distance and time required to travel here. Ohio State was delayed 11 hours on the trip out here. Instead of arriving on Thursday, being able to sleep all night, practice early Friday, then play tonight, they arrived early Friday and reportedly had to go directly to practice. In short, they were miserably tired and played like it. We saw a similar situation when Michigan traveled here earlier in the year -- the Wolverines came out tired and lost the first game of their set. In the Saturday game, Michigan was adjusted, rested, and won. It remains to be seen if this even-tireder Buckeyes team can do the same.