Last night the Buckeyes struggled, and ultimately failed, to overcome a slow start. They were much sharper out of the gate tonight. They maintained a more consistent level of play. Unfortunately the result was the same.
The first period was a scoreless one, though there were several near misses. Both teams had breakaway chances foiled by rolling pucks. Ohio State logged another good looking power play although they weren’t able to cash in.
| boxscore | 1 | 2 | 3 | final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 16 Bowling Green | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Bowling Green rolled a puck past Buckeye goalie Matt Tomkins but defenseman Josh Healey had his netminder’s back, sweeping the puck out of danger. Late in the frame the Falcons dinged the crossbar. Yet the teams went to the break tied at zero.
The stalemate continued through the middle stanza. Christian Lampasso probably had the best Buckeye chance of the period. He got behind the Falcons’ defense and had an uncontested shot at BG goalie Chris Nell but, just as it did all night, the puck rolled harmlessly off his stick.
Bowling Green gained momentum as the second progressed. The Falcons started by winning small puck battles, followed that by thwarting a trio of Buckeye power plays, and ended up with an extended 5-on-3 power play. Fortunately for the Scarlet and Gray the defenders and Tomkins were up to the task. Several blocked shots and two great saves later the teams skated into the second intermission still knotted at nil each.
BGSU continued to control the game in the final period. It finally paid off at the ten minute mark. BG’s Mark Cooper dinged a score off the post and in. Nick Schilkey tried to rally the Bucks with a prime scoring chance immediately afterward. He was turned aside by Nell.
The Falcons added another goal from Matt Pohlkamp as the Bucks pressed for the equalizer and the ice opened up. Steve Rohlik made the call for the extra attacker in the final minutes of the game but Bowling Green held firm.
The OSU penalty killers performed well again but the power play units were not as effective tonight, going 0-for-6. Nick Schilkey, Anthony Greco, and Dave Gust combined for a whopping 18 shots. The rest of the team mustered a collective seven and the Bucks’ offensive chances really dried up toward the end of the game.
Matt Tomkins was the clear star of the game for the Buckeyes. The junior goalie turned in one of the better outings of his collegiate career. He made a total of 28 saves in the games, a handful among them beauties.
In some ways this was a better game than last night. Overall Ohio State’s highs were not as high but neither were the lows as low. It’s a step, albeit a small one, forward. Another opportunity for Buckeye progress comes next Friday and Saturday with a home-and-home series against their other in-state rival, the Miami Redhawks.
Women’s Hockey Downed by No. 3 Wisconsin
Nearly everything went wrong for the lady Bucks today as they began their WCHA slate against the Badgers. Three minutes into the contest Sam Cogan lit the lamp for UW. Seconds later Emily Clark increased her team’s lead.
Wisconsin never let off the gas. The Badgers dominated in every aspect of the game. They outshot Ohio State 41-10 in the game (including a particularly miserable 21-2 second period). To her credit goaltender Stacy Danczak managed to stop 34 of those shots but she was under fire almost the entire sixty minutes.
| boxscore | 1 | 2 | 3 | final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 3 Wiscsonsin | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
UW also slayed on special teams. The Buckeyes were shut out on all four of their power play opportunities. The Badgers converted three out of four tries, which would’ve been sufficiently impressive even without Annie Pankowski’s shorthanded goal.
Wisconsin is a talented, extremely veteran team. There’s no shame in losing to the Badgers. But there aren’t many positives in losing to them this way.
Ohio State looks to bounce back tomorrow afternoon. The rematch with the UW gets underway at 3pm. The game airs live on BTN. Be sure to take advantage of the unusual opportunity to see your lady Bucks on national TV.
