COLUMBUS — Ohio State is looking for its first national championship in an NCAA-sponsored team sport this year, and the Buckeyes’ men’s hockey team will begin its title quest this weekend.

At No. 4 in the final PairWise rankings, the Buckeyes (24-9-5) are having their best season since 2004-05, which earned them a No. 1 seed in the 16-team NCAA tournament. Ohio State will begin its tournament against fourth-seeded Princeton (19-12-4), which surprised its way to an Eastern College Athletic Conference championship to earn an automatic bid.

Time: 3:30 p.m. Saturday

TV: ESPNU

Location: Allentown, Pa.

Scouting reports:

Princeton — Usually at least one team upsets its way into the 16-team tournament field during the 11th hour, and this year, it’s Princeton. The Tigers have the fewest wins of any team in the tournament, though they enter the game playing their best hockey. The No. 7 seed in the ECAC, Princeton’s only NCAA hope was to run through the top three seeds in its conference tournament — including No. 1 seed Cornell — and the Tigers did just that. Forwards Max Véronneau and Ryan Kuffner have combined for 107 points in the team’s 35 games.

Ohio State — The Buckeyes lost the Big Ten championship game in overtime to Notre Dame, but they have not lost more than two games in a row all season and have been a consistent contender from the outset. The Buckeyes have six players with double-digit goals, led by Mason Jobst with 19, and a goaltender in Sean Romeo who sports a .925 save percentage. Nothing is promised in single-elimination hockey, though the Buckeyes have everything necessary to make a run.

Local ties: OSU defenseman Gordi Myer is a Sylvania native who has become a regular for the Buckeyes as a sophomore. He appeared in 36 games this season with 1 goal and 11 assists, and served fewer penalty minutes than any Buckeyes defenseman who played more than 25 games. Myer, who wears No. 5 for the Buckeyes, also has some history in the NCAA tournament: his first collegiate goal tied the game in the third period during OSU’s first-round game last season.

Tournament prospects: Much like the men’s basketball Buckeyes, the OSU hockey team has a tough draw to survive the first weekend. If Ohio State manages to take care of Princeton, it would play one of two opponents in the quarterfinals: No. 2 Denver, the reigning national champion, or No. 3 Penn State, which is the host of the Allentown regional and figures to have a significant home-ice advantage. The Buckeyes went 1-2-1 against Penn State during the season.

If Ohio State can win twice this weekend, the Buckeyes would qualify for their first Frozen Four since 1998.

Contact Nicholas Piotrowicz at npiotrowicz@theblade.com, 419-724-6110 or on Twitter @NickPiotrowicz

First Published March 23, 2018, 1:00 p.m.