Well, hello Mr. Wiseman! Johnny Wiseman announced his return to the field in a big way on Sunday to help the Buckeyes defeat Johns Hopkins in a must-win game.
It was a departure from the norm for Ohio State, but ultimately the good guys got the W. They were helped by a massive outburst in the 3rd quarter, turning an 8-3 deficit at the half into just an 11-10 Jays lead at the end of the third quarter.
Just like coffee, wins are for closers, with the Buckeyes getting 4 more goals in the final period to defeat Hopkins at Homewood. Jackson Reid sealed it with under a minute left in transition, off a pass by senior d-middie Logan Maccani.
And, despite not getting the timeframe right, I'm feeling pretty good on the lotto numbers for the upcoming drawing.
Offensively, the Buckeyes got HUGE contributions from the attack unit today. Jackson Reid reminded everyone that he is a force to be reckoned with offensively.
After some fancy shooting last week against Penn State in a brutal loss, Reid went off for 5 goals and 1 assist for 6 points on the day, leading all Buckeye scorers. Johnny Wiseman, who missed the last 3 games, returned to pour in 3 goals and an assist on the day, doubling his yearly total.
Tre Leclaire had an identical scoreline, further cementing his status as Ohio State's primary shooter. Jack Jasinski had 2 goals and an assist on the day as well, while Jack Myers dished out two assists.
Overall, the Buckeyes had a subpar shooting day, only scoring 28% of their shots, but overwhelmed Hopkins by shooting 49 times. Ryan Darby's 12 saves helped keep the scoreline so close.
Defensively, Ohio State did just enough to get the W, nothing more. Hopkins scored on 33% of their shots, with most of their big names getting a bunch of points.
Joey Epstein, highlighted in the preview, got 3 goals and 2 assists, Alex Concannon scored 4 goals and had 2 helpers, while Kyle Marr and Cole Williams had 2 tallies apiece as well.
The Buckeyes did hold the Jays to 10 fewer shots than the offense, but the defense is still feeling the loss of an all-American in Ben Randall and long-time starter in Erik Evans. Henrick, Borges, and Salisbury have been decent, but not exceptional.
In goal, Josh Kirson did enough to win. He had 12 saves to match Ryan Darby's mark, and keep the Buckeyes in the game. Goalkeeping has been a bit off for the Buckeyes since Tom Carey graduated in 2017, and to take the next step to elite they'll need better from that position.
Goalies and dodgers are hard to come by, so hopefully there'll be enough development to get the Buckeyes to championship weekend again very soon.
At the faceoff X, the Buckeyes and Blue Jays split right down the middle. Justin Inacio went 14 of 26 to end the day over 50%, while the Jays' FOGO went exactly 14-28.
Christian Feliziani took, and lost, 2 draws for the Buckeyes. Inacio hasn't been poor this season by any meams, but has had some inconsistent performances. He's going to have to be at 65% game in and game out to give the Buckeyes a shot at a deep tourney run.
Special teams, as per usual, were a complete disaster. The Buckeyes had 4 Man Up opportunities today, but scored on 0 of them.
Hopkins, meanwhile, converted 2 of 3 Man Up opportunities against the Buckeyes. It's easy money to score Man Up goals, yet the Buckeyes just flat out can't buy a goal when up a man.
Or, conversely, stop teams from taking advantage. This has to be a major area of concern for the Buckeyes moving forward, as a 3rd year of this nonsense is unacceptable.
At the end of the day, this is a great win for the Buckeyes in a terribly tough enviroment. Johns Hopkins has tremendous tradition, all the stars you could ever want, and facilities that are second to none, so a Buckeye W is absolutely outstanding.
The team needed this win, then went out and took it. It's a huge confidence boost as the mighty Terrapins loom next.
Go Bucks!
