Ohio State picked a lousy time to play its worst half of the year.
The Buckeyes were both flat and tentative during the 2nd quarter of the national semifinal against Towson, a team it had dispatched 6-3 back in March. By the time halftime arrived, Ohio State was trailing the Tigers 7-3 - and just barely escaped allowing an eighth goal as time expired.
| NATIONAL SEMI | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOWSON | 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 10 |
| #3 OHIO STATE | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 11 |
Jack Jasinski, Tre LeClaire and Logan Maccani tallied scores for the Buckeyes in the first two frames on just 12 shots, compared to Towson's seven goals in a 25-shot barrage. The 3rd-seed appeared to have stage fright against the unseeded Tigers, who came out confident and aggressive to start the game and kept that aggression through halftime.
But after allowing that eighth goal early in the 3rd quarter, that skittish Ohio State team abruptly vanished and the monster that advanced to the Final Four finally arrived.
The Buckeyes seized momentum with three straight goals, including a beautiful behind-the-back assist from Eric Fannell to Austin Shanks that cut the deficit to three.
Ohio State took complete control of the game from that point going forward, scoring eight of the final 10 goals on the afternoon to complete a stunning comeback, seal a thrilling 11-10 victory and punch its ticket for Monday's national championship game against Maryland.
It was the first time in 29 games the Tigers had surrendered a third-quarter lead and they did it in style.
Big Ten Freshman of the Year Leclaire finished the day with three goals and an assist, while Fannell and Shanks notched two goals and an assist each for the Buckeyes.
Tom Carey stopped 10 shots between the pipes. It was his 10th game this season (and seventh in his last eight) with double-digit saves.
Game Notes
| No | Name | POS | G | A | SH | SOG | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | JT BLUBAUGH | M | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 30 | JOHNNY PEARSON | M | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 36 | TYLER PFISTER | M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | TOM CAREY | G | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 32 | MATT BORGES | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | BEN RANDALL | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 43 | ERIK EVANS | D | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 5 | JACK JASINSKI | A | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 14 | TRE LECLAIRE | A | 3 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 1 |
| 20 | ERIC FANNELL | A | 2 | 1 | 11 | 4 | 2 |
| 7 | LUKAS BUCKLEY | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | |
| 10 | JOHN KELLY | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 11 | AUSTIN SHANKS | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| 13 | BO LORI | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 18 | JAKE WITHERS | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | |
| 22 | COLIN CHELL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 33 | JEFF HENRICK | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 35 | LOGAN MACCANI | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 39 | JOEY SALISBURY | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 41 | LUCAS BAILEY | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 44 | FREDDY FREIBOTT | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
- The Buckeyes improved to 16–4 on the season, breaking the program record for wins in a single season first set in 1965.
- Leclaire's three goals and four points were a team high.
- Senior Jake Withers won 15-of-25 faceoffs – including 10-of-13 in the second half – and had a game-high 10 groundballs.
- Ohio State was outshot, 40–35 in the game.
- Each team picked up 27 groundballs for the game, with the Buckeyes getting 17 to Towson's eight in the second half.
- Ohio State went 2-for-2 on man-up chances against Towson. Shanks now has nine man-up goals on the year, tying for second in the NCAA. As a team, the Buckeyes are 30-for-60 (.500) this season.
- Fannell's assist was his 30th of the season, tyin for 10th in a single campaign in program history. He now has 66 points this year, the 10th-most for a Buckeye ever.
- Leclaire had his ninth gam with three or more goals and has a team-best 48 on the season, tying Terry Gilmore for third in a single season in program history. He has 63 points on the year, tying for 11th in school history.
- Ohio State and Maryland will meet for the third time this season. Ohio State won the regular season meeting in overtime, 11–10 in Columbus April 22 and the Terps won the Big Ten Tournament championship game, 10–9, in Columbus May 6.
