There were some who wondered if the No. 10/11 hockey Buckeyes’ impressive offensive numbers this season were skewed by low quality non-conference competition. Thee Bucks erased any doubt as their scoring prowess tonight. Ohio State soundly thrashed Big Ten favorite No. 11/9 Minnesota by a final score of 8-3.
| scoring by period | 1 | 2 | 3 | final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 10/11 Ohio State | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| No. 11/9 Minnesota | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
Just like last night, Minnesota was slow out of the gate. This time Ohio State took advantage of the Gophers’ sluggishness. Mason Jobst needed just 33 seconds to put the Buckeyes on the board. Luke Stork corralled a bounce off the net and fed the sophomore’s point blank goal.
| pd | time | buckeye goal scorers (assists) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0:33 | Mason Jobst (Luke Stork) |
| 1 | 9:32 | Tommy Parran (John Wiitala, Tanner Laczynski) |
| 2 | 2:06 | PP - Nick Schilkey (Tanner Laczynski) |
| 2 | 2:20 | Mason Jobst (Nick Schilkey, Luke Stork) |
| 2 | 7:07 | Tanner Laczynski (John Wiitala) |
| 2 | 8:51 | Josh Healey (Mason Jobst, Dave Gust) |
| 3 | 4:57 | PP - Dave Gust (Josh Healey, Mason Jobst) |
| 3 | 13:08 | Sasha Larocque (Tanner Laczynski) |
The Buckeyes increased their lead midway through the frame. Gopher goalie Eric Shierhorn thought he had the puck covered. He didn’t. OSU defenseman Tommy Parran pounced on the loose puck and jammed it home for a 2-0 Buckeye edge.
Minnesota came roaring back after the media timeout. Tyler Sheehy capitalized on an open look. Then Ryan Lindgren finished off a 2-on-1 to level the score at two goals apiece.
The teams were tied coming out of the first intermission but they didn’t stay that way long. The Buckeyes dominated the second period. Nine minutes into the frame Ohio State owned a 6-2 lead. Nick Schilkey fired off a early power play tally. Seconds later Jobst netted his second goal of the game.
Watch all 8 Buckeye goals from the win at Minnesota. https://t.co/JrSFuhXVad #GoBucks
— Ohio State M Hockey (@OhioState_MHKY) December 4, 2016
Nick Lehr relieved Schierhorn in net. The Buckeyes welcomed him to the game with another pair of goals. Tanner Laczynski dragged the puck to the front of the net and lifted it over the Gopher netminder.
At the 8:51 mark of the period Buckeye blue liner, Josh Healey, joined the rush and lit the lamp. That was the end of Lehr’s night. Don Lucia sent Schierhorn back out.
Early in the third period Dave Gust ripped a power play goal past the beleaguered goalie, giving Ohio State a 7-2 advantage. Sasha Larocque piled on an eighth Buckeye goal and the team's sixth unanswered score. His pass attempt deflected in off the Minnesota defender.
Sheehy potted a late power play goal which did not improve statistics for Frey or the Buckeye penalty kill. However, in the grand scheme of things it did nothing to affect the outcome of the game. Ohio State cruised to its first Big Ten victory of the season.
Overall 8 of the Buckeyes' 26 shots found the back of the net for a whopping 30.8% shooting percentage. They allowed the Gophers one power play goal in four opportunities. On their own advantages the Bucks were 2-for-6.
Ohio State is off now until New Year’s Eve when the Buckeyes host in-state rival Miami. Head coach Steve Rohlik was pleased to go into the break on a high note, saying "It was a good road win. Any time you play a team like Minnesota on their ice and come away with a win you've done something right. Ultimately, it was a great team effort. This was a good way to end the first half."
