Frozen Diamond Faceoff Final Score: Michigan Sweeps Ohio State With 4-1 Victory

Most headlines from Sunday's hockey game between Michigan and Ohio State will focus on the fact that the game was played outdoors at the Cleveland Indians' Progressive Field. Beyond the spectacle of it being an outdoor hockey game, however, is the important fact that Michigan beat Ohio State 4-1 for a weekend series sweep of the Buckeyes. The Wolverines won 4-0 in Columbus on Friday, and now with a win on Sunday, they picked up two wins over the No. 2 team in the country.

Sunday's victory outdoors came thanks to a quick start and a strong second period. Michigan got the scoring started with goals from Chris Brown and Alex Guptill in the first period, taking a quick 2-0 lead in similar fashion to Friday's game.

Unlike on Friday, Ohio State did manage to put one shot past Shawn Hunwick. The Buckeyes' lone goal of the weekend came 50 seconds into the second period and cut Michigan's lead in half. Ohio State looked as though it was going to make a game of the Frozen Diamond Faceoff, but Michigan answered midway through the second with two goals in 28 seconds. Derek DeBlois scored the first on a redirect from David Wohlberg, and Wohlberg got the second by going hard to the net.

Neither team managed to score in the third period, meaning Michigan won 4-1. The Wolverines have now won two outdoor games, as this win improved their record outdoors to 2-1-1 all time. (The other win was last season in The Big Chill at the Big House against Michigan State; the loss was at the Camp Randall Classic to Wisconsin in 2010; the tie was against Michigan State in the Cold War back in 2001.)

A month ago, Michigan entered its series against Michigan State having just snapped a seven-game winless streak. The Wolverines went on to beat the Spartans in one game and tie them in the other. They did the same thing last week against Lake Superior State, which came after a pair of wins in the Great Lakes Invitational. Now with a pair of wins in Ohio against the Buckeyes, Michigan has gone nine games without a loss. The Wolverines have completely changed the outlook of their season in the last month, and now they sit in third place in the CCHA, only five points back of first-place Ohio State.

Frozen Diamond Faceoff Score Update: Michigan Takes 4-1 Lead Into 3rd Period

The first part of the second period of the Frozen Diamond Faceoff was all Ohio State. The Buckeyes scored just 50 seconds into the period, and they were carrying the play. Then, halfway through the second, Michigan flipped the momentum and took back control of the outdoor game with two quick goals, making it 4-1 after 40 minutes of play.

Ohio State's first goal of the weekend against Michigan came on a nice feed from Max McCormick. Chris Crane put the puck past Shawn Hunwick for the first goal ever scored on him in an outdoor game. (Hunwick shut out Michigan State 5-0 in The Big Chill at the Big House last season.)

Michigan responded in a big way midway through the period. Near the halfway mark, Derek DeBlois redirected a pass from David Wohlberg into the net. The goal came after a turnover by Ohio State and once again made this a two-goal game. Then, only 28 seconds later, Wohlberg scored a goal of his own by taking the puck hard to the net. Cal Heeter simply misplayed the shot, and the puck went past him.

Ohio State decided to replace Heeter after the two quick goals. Brady Hjelle is now in net for the Buckeyes, and although he hasn't allowed a goal yet despite some close calls, Michigan has a commanding 4-1 lead with only 20 minutes to play.

Frozen Diamond Faceoff Score Update: Michigan Leads Ohio State 2-0 After 1 Period

In the first period of the Frozen Diamond Faceoff at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Michigan picked up where it left off on Friday night against Ohio State. The Wolverines downed the Buckeyes 4-0 in Columbus on Friday, and already Michigan has a two-goal lead on Ohio State in Sunday's outdoor game.

Michigan opened the scoring at Progressive Field 7:31 into the game. Chris Brown scored on Ohio State's Cal Heeter, giving the Wolverines a 1-0 lead. The goal was assisted by Kevin Clare and Alex Guptill.

Guptill went from assisting on a goal to scoring one later in the first period. 13:33 into the opening frame, he sniped a shot past Heeter on a pass from Brown, the scorer of the first goal. Mac Bennett also had an assist on the goal, which made it 2-0 Michigan.

Shawn Hunwick, who had a career-high 46 saves in Friday's game against Ohio State, has 11 saves so far in the Frozen Diamond Faceoff. His save percentage is still perfect, as Ohio State has yet to score on him this weekend.

Frozen Diamond Faceoff: Michigan, Ohio State Take Rivalry Outdoors

For the third time in as many seasons, the Michigan hockey team is headed outdoors for a game. Two years ago, the Wolverines lost a game to Wisconsin by a score of 3-2 at Camp Randall Stadium. Last season, Michigan defeated Michigan State 5-0 in The Big Chill at the Big House with more than 100,000 people in attendance. On Sunday evening, Michigan will do battle with the rival Ohio State Buckeyes in the Frozen Diamond Faceoff at Progressive Field, the home of the Cleveland Indians.

While the Frozen Diamond Faceoff doesn't have nearly the same amount of excitement that surrounded the game at Michigan Stadium or even Camp Randall Stadium, for that matter, it's always fun for the players and fans when hockey is taken outdoors. Considering how often outdoors games are played, it isn't quite the spectacle anymore to see an ice rink in a baseball stadium, but Progressive Field should provide a memorable setting for Sunday's clash between Michigan and Ohio State.

Beyond the event, the game itself is actually pretty important. Ohio State entered the week ranked No. 2 in the nation, but Michigan already has taken one game in this series thanks to a 4-0 win in Columbus on Friday night. The Wolverines needed the victory in a big way after getting off to a slow start this season. They have been playing much better hockey over the course of the last month, and a sweep of Ohio State would really improve their chances of keeping their NCAA tournament streak alive.

The puck is set to drop for the Frozen Diamond Faceoff at 5:05 p.m. (Eastern Time). FOX Sports Detroit Plus will carry the live broadcast of the game, and the Big Ten Network will show it on tape-delay at 9 p.m.

Michigan-Ohio State Outdoor Hockey Game Finally Official

Michigan and Ohio State are going to meet in hockey at Progressive Field at 5:05 p.m. on Jan. 15, 2011. The game, which is being called "The Frozen Diamond Faceoff," is finally official after months of planning and working out all of the final details.

Originally this game was supposed to be made official and announced back in June. Michigan hockey coach Red Berenson was even preparing to go to Cleveland for the announcement, but the plans were delayed. Now the game has finally been made public, and it's got a date, a location, a name and even a logo.

According to the Cleveland Indians' official site, tickets for the game will go on sale in November. Although this is technically a home game for Ohio State, I would not be surprised if there is more maize and blue in the crowd than scarlet and gray. Cleveland is only three hours away from Ann Arbor, and considering Ohio State rarely can even fill their own arena for hockey games, I have my doubts that a ton of Buckeye fans will be in attendance.

With this game being scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 15, there will be a day in between the first and second game of the series between Michigan and Ohio State. The schedule could always change, but currently the Wolverines are set to play at Ohio State on Friday, Jan. 13. That game will be in Columbus, and after a day off the two teams will play again in Cleveland at Progressive Field.

Michigan-Ohio State Outdoor Hockey Game In Cleveland Not Finalized Yet

Last Friday an announcement about an outdoor hockey game between Michigan and Ohio State was expected to take place in Cleveland. No announcement was made, however. Plans to hold the game at Progressive Field, the Cleveland Indians' home stadium, have not been finalized just yet, delaying the official announcement about the game.

Michigan hockey coach Red Berenson was planning on being at the announcement, but he did not make the trip to Cleveland since there was nothing to announce. At this point all he knows is that Michigan will play at Ohio State on Jan. 15, 2012. Where that game is held is up to Ohio State.

"We've done everything in our end, and they have to get their ducks in order. I can't tell you whether it's ticketing or marketing of the game, but they have to work all those things out.

"We know we're going to play Ohio State. It's just a matter of where we're going to play them. I think it's going to happen, but I wouldn't get too far in front of this until they finally announce it."

If the game does in fact take place outdoors as most expect it will, Michigan will be involved in an outdoor game for three seasons in a row. Two seasons ago the Wolverines played at Wisconsin's Camp Randall Stadium and last year Michigan took on Michigan State in "The Big Chill at the Big House." Now, barring a wrench being thrown in Ohio State's plans, the Buckeyes will host Michigan at Progressive Field next January.

Report: Michigan, Ohio State To Play Outdoor Hockey Game In Cleveland

For the third season in a row, the Michigan hockey team could be involved in an outdoor game. In the 2009-10 season, Michigan took on Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium, and last season the Wolverines played Michigan State at the Big House. Now it looks like the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry is headed outdoors.

The Associated Press reports that plans are being finalized for Michigan and Ohio State to play at Progressive Field in Cleveland in January. The Michigan Daily's Stephen Nesbitt reports that the specific date of the game is Jan. 15, 2012, although nothing is official just yet.

Progressive Field is the home of the Cleveland Indians and holds more than 40,000 people. It would serve as Ohio State's home ice for this game if it happens, although Cleveland is only about three hours away from Ann Arbor, so you can bet there would be a lot of maize and blue in the crowd.

Perhaps there will also be a lot of red in the crowd, but not necessarily worn by Ohio State fans. Eleven Warriors, an OSU blog, mentioned on Twitter that there is a rumor the Wolverines and Buckeyes would play as part of a doubleheader. The other game would be the Red Wings vs. the Blue Jackets, giving the NHL a non-Winter Classic outdoor game.

I would be quite surprised if the NHL allowed the Wings and Jackets to play an outdoor game, but a doubleheader would be very cool, especially since there's no doubt the stands would be filled.