It's been some time since Ohio State head coach Steve Rohlik has had a full selection of pieces to mix and match on his game night roster. With a healthy team to choose from tonight Rohlik worked his line blending magic, putting together a dynamite trio that sparked the Buckeyes to a 5-3 upset victory over the No. 15 Michigan Wolverines.
| goals by period | 1 | 2 | 3 | final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 15 Michigan | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Ohio State | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
Michigan came out of the gate strong and took an early lead. Dylan Larkin found the net at the 3:52 mark. Matt Johnson put Ohio State on the board a few minutes later. Johnson, along with Christian Lampasso and new line mate Tanner Fritz, was a major force in this game. The trio manufactured a second Buckeye goal late in the opening frame. Fritz recorded an assist on the play for his 99th career point.
Action was fast and furious in the second period. The Wolverines drew even as Zach Hyman took advantage of a two-on-one situation. It wasn't long before the Bucks regained their lead and again it was due to the hard work of Fritz, Lampasso, and Johnson. This time Fritz had the last touch of the puck. The goal brought the senior's career total to a nice round 100.
| pd | time | buckeye goal scorer (assists) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7:35 | Matt Johnson (Al McLean, Nicholas Jones) |
| 1 | 18:16 | Matt Johnson (Tanner Fritz, Christian Lampasso) |
| 2 | 7:11 | Tanner Fritz (Matt Johnson, Christian Lampasso) |
| 3 | 17:55 | Darik Angeli (Unassisted) |
| 3 | 19:25 | Nick Schilkey (Tanner Fritz) |
The Buckeyes weren't done yet. A blast from the stick of Darik Angeli extended the OSU lead to 4-2. Michigan narrowed the gap with an extra attacker goal late in the game, but Nick Schilkey iced an Ohio State victory with an empty netter.
Christian Frey started in goal for the Bucks. He stopped 36 shots in the win and looked good doing it. Ohio State was 0-for-3 on the power play, but was a perfect 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.
Enjoy the win, Buckeye fans. It was a good one. The teams wrap up their series Sunday evening at 5pm. The game will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Detroit and SportsTime Ohio.
Buckeye Women Downed By Duluth
Things didn't go so well for the lady Bucks on the road where they were defeated by No. 9 Minnesota-Duluth.
| goals by period | 1 | 2 | 3 | final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| No. 9 Minnesota-Duluth | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
The initial twenty minutes were closely contested. Neither team gained an advantage on the scoreboard. Neither team yielded a power play opportunity. Duluth held a slim 12-9 lead in shots on goal but Buckeye goalie Kassidy Sauve turned aside each attempt.
UMD finally nicked Sauve in the opening seconds of the second period. Kari Schmitt answered for Ohio State. Taylor Kuehl completed a successful PK by setting up Schmitt for the tying score. The Bulldogs pulled ahead again in the waning minutes of the frame.
Duluth produced a third goal to start the third, cashing in on a man-advantage. Special teams was the theme of the final period. The officials called five penalties, three on the Bucks and two on UMD. That would be the end of the scoring. The Bulldogs claimed a 3-1 win.
| pd | time | buckeye goal scorer (assists) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 9:28 | Kari Schmitt (Taylor Kuehl) |
Shots were even at 36-36. Duluth had a slight edge on special teams, netting one power play goal in three chances. The Buckeyes were 0-for-3.
The teams play one final regular season tilt on Sunday at 12 pm ET. Video and live stats will be available from UMD.
