The schneid has died. Ohio State got another crack at Mercyhurst this afternoon. This time the Bucks took care of business and wrapped up their first victory of the 2015-16 season.
Like last night the Buckeyes were in complete control of the opening period. They dominated time of possession. (Or they would’ve if that was an official hockey stat.) They peppered Laker goalie Adam Carlson with 17 shots. And, like last night, Nick Schilkey gave the Bucks an early lead.
| boxscore | 1 | 2 | 3 | final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercyhurst | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Ohio State | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
With less than four minutes to play Mercyhurst made its third trip to the penalty box. The OSU power play went to work. Luke Stork and Dave Gust created havoc in front of the Laker net. Good puck movement by Anthony Greco and Matt Weis set up Schilkey’s shot. Carlson never had a chance.
Unlike last night Ohio State came out of the intermission break with an even greater focus, It paid off right away. A smart feed from Josh Healey to Stork sprung the Pittsburgh native on a breakaway. Stork put a little shake and bake on the Mercyhurst goalie and popped the puck into the gaping net a mere 24 seconds into the middle frame.
The Bucks continued to control the action. A few minutes later John Wiitala and Tyler Lundey caught Mercyhurst napping and skated in on a 2-on-1. Wiitala’s pass rolled off Lundey’s stick and into the corner. Both players went after the puck. Wiitala batted it toward the net and somehow it squirted behind Carlson for a 3-0 lead.
Ohio State kept the pressure on the gassed and increasingly frustrated Lakers. A heads up pass by Mason Jobst started Stork and Schilkey on another odd man rush. Stork laid a gorgeous pass right on Schilkey’s tape. The junior didn’t even need to shoot. He just tapped the puck in for his third score this week.
The Scarlet and Gray added one more goal for good measure. Once again, it was due to the stellar work of the power play unit. Gust and Stork wrecked Carlson’s vision. Greco, Schilkey, and Weis worked the puck around until Greco could tee up a pass for Weis. Carlson slid across but he was too late. Weis had already buried his third goal of the season.
| pd | time | buckeye goal scorers (assists) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17:33 | PP - Nick Schilkey (Matt Weis, Anthony Greco) |
| 2 | 0:24 | Luke Stork (Josh Healey) |
| 2 | 5:08 | John Wiitala (Tyler Lundey, Matt Tomkins) |
| 2 | 12:39 | Nick Schilkey (Luke Stork, Mason Jobst) |
| 3 | 4:44 | PP - Matt Weis (Anthony Greco, Nick Schilkey) |
Mercyhurst got on the board late. The Lakers crossed up the OSU defense and got a player in alone on Matt Tomkins. It was the only difficult scenario Tomkins faced all night and the only shot he failed to stop. The junior netminder finished with 27 saves. His counterpart, Carlson, stopped 47 of the Buckeyes’ 52 shots.
Ohio State converted two of its six power play chances and shut down all three Mercyhurst advantages. Aside from the breakdown allowing the lone Laker goal the Buckeyes played well in every aspect of the game, for the entire game. This was a very good win.
The hockey Bucks have a bye next week. They return to the ice the following week for a series against another Atlantic Hockey opponent, Canisius. It will be Ohio State’s final home series before the holiday break. The Buckeyes do not host another home game until mid-January.
