Ohio State men’s hockey skated in front of its home town crowd tonight for the first time in the 2016-17 season. The crowd that left the arena was a happy one. The Buckeyes swept Bowling Green and improved their record to 3-0-2.
| scoring by period | 1 | 2 | 3 | final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowling Green | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| No. 19 Ohio State | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
Saturday’s game began with a resumption of Friday’s penalty parade. Ohio State’s special teams were the clear winner of the exchange. Nick Schilkey put the Buckeyes ahead with a power play goal, his second score of the series.
The Bucks kept the momentum rolling with lamp lighters from Dave Gust and Matt Weis. The goals chased Bowling Green starter Tomas Sholl from the net. He was replaced by Chris Nell.
| pd | time | buckeye goal scorers (assists) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5:38 | PP - Nick Schilkey (Dave Gust, Josh Healey) |
| 1 | 11:51 | Dave Gust (John Wiiitala, Mason Jobst) |
| 1 | 15:56 | Matt Weis (Josh Healey, Tanner Laczynski) |
| 2 | 4:43 | Matt Joyaux (Ronnie Hein, Sam McCormick) |
| 3 | 8:07 | Nick Schilkey (Drew Brevig) |
| 3 | 16:04 | Tanner Laczynski (Ronnie Hein, Nick Schilkey) |
Matt Joyaux extended the Buckeye lead in the second period. Sam McCormick assisted on the goal. The helper was the freshman’s first collegiate point.
Pierre-Luc Mercier spoiled goalie Matt Tomkins’ shutout with a Falcons goal at the 7:48 mark of the second period. But that was the only puck which would find its way past Tomkins. He finished the night with 28 saves and earned his second victory of the season.
Schilkey ended any hope of a BGSU comeback in the bud with a 4-on-4 tally midway through the final frame. Tanner Laczynski added a little salt to the wound with the Buckeyes' sixth goal of the game. Now that's the offense we've been expecting from this team.
Next week the Bucks trek to New York to face off against Niagara. The teams are on vastly different trajectories. Ohio State is unbeaten. The Purple Eagles are winless with an 0-3-2 record. Opening faceoff is slated for 7pm ET on both Friday and Saturday.
Bucks Get Stellar Outing from Sauve but Drop Game against Gophers
Sophomore goaltender Kassidy Sauve continues to be a monster performer for the women’s hockey Bucks. This afternoon she played another outstanding game, stopping a whopping 55 shots fired by the No. 2 Minnesota Gophers. Ohio State rallied in front of Sauve’s titantic effort and, once again, nearly pulled off an upset.
| scoring by period | 1 | 2 | 3 | final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 2 Minnesota | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Ohio State | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
The teams skated through 27:56 scoreless minutes. Then OSU’s Dani Sadek tickled the twine with her first goal of the year. Taylor Williamson answered for the Gophers late in the second period. In the final frame Sarah Potomak locked up a Minnesota 2-1 win with her fourth score of the series.
While losing is never ideal, dropping a pair of single-goal decisions to the powerhouse Gophers is nothing to be ashamed of. On the contrary, it’s probably a sign that the program’s rebuild is on the right track. These Ohio State women are going to be a team to be reckoned with under Nadine Muzerall.
| pd | time | buckeye goal scorer (assists) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 7:56 | Dani Sadek (Lauren Spring, Maddy Field) |
Next week the women stay at home to host No. 4 Minnesota-Duluth. (A break in this brutal schedule is coming, I promise.) Games are currently scheduled for 6pm ET Friday and 1pm ET on Saturday.
