Today’s game really wasn’t pretty for men’s hockey. Fortunately for the Buckeyes special teams were on point. They gave Ohio State enough of an edge to top Canisius and pick up the team’s first sweep of the season.
| scoring by period | 1 | 2 | 3 | final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canisius | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Ohio State | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
Canisius’ Ralph Cuddemi got the Griffins on the board three minutes into the game. The Buckeyes answered a minute later. Mason Jobst displayed a fantastic individual effort which ended in a game tying goal. The play began with a battle along the wall. The Buckeye freshman successfully controlled the puck, drove to the front of the net, and beat Griffs goalie Reilly Turner.
The flow of the game deteriorated as the opening frame became a penalty laden affair. This worked out in the Buckeyes’ favor as they excelled at special teams today. Ohio State converted consecutive power plays and took a 3-1 lead.
Matt Weis submitted an entry for prettiest goal of the game with a highlight reel tally. The New Jersey native carried the puck into the zone. He wound through the Canisius defense and, as he was tripped up, flipped a shot by Turner.
| pd | time | buckeye goal scorers (assists) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4:38 | Mason Jobst (Luke Stork, Nick Schilkey) |
| 1 | 7:35 | PP - Matt Weis (Nick Schilkey, Matt Tomkins) |
| 1 | 9:11 | PP - Nick Schilkey (Dave Gust, Matt Weis) |
| 2 | 5:43 | Dave Gust (Anthony Greco, Drew Brevig) |
| 2 | 16:00 | PP - Craig Dalrymple (Sasha Larocque, Matt Weis) |
| 3 | 19:29 | EN - Anthony Greco (Dave Gust) |
Hot hand Nick Schilkey increased the Buckeye lead moments later. His harmless looking shot found its way through a Luke Stork (I think) screen and past the Canisius netminder. The goal was Schilkey’s sixth of the season and his tenth point in the last five games.
With a two goal cushion the Bucks lost focus. Canisius caught the Scarlet and Gray running around in their own end. Cameron Heath made them pay, banging a shot in off the pipe.
Ohio State had to regroup quickly. The Buckeyes were already killing a penalty when an aggressive check by Josh Healey resulted in a major infraction. OSU’s defenders killed off the 5-on-3 then shut down the remaining three minutes of Canisius’ power play.
The penalty parade continued into the second period. This time it was Ohio State enjoying an extended two man advantage. Though the Buckeyes did not score on the power play, the offensive momentum they built carried over into an even strength goal. Dave Gust crashed the net and whacked away until he netted a rebound tally.
OSU’s special teams notched another score late in the stanza. Craig Dalrymple launched a shot from the blue line that bounced through the Canisius defenders. With Dakota Joshua planted in the goaltender’s sight lines, Turner didn’t stand a chance.
At this point, with a three goal lead over a struggling opponent, Ohio State should have had a stranglehold on the game. Instead drifting focus, poor positioning, and turnovers left the door open for Canisius.
The Griffins kept their composure and chipped away at the Buckeye lead. Daniel LaFontaine scored and then Shane Conacher. Ohio State’s lead shrank to a single goal.
There were some tense moments as the clock wound down but Anthony Greco chipped in an empty netter and the Bucks prevailed. Special teams really made the difference. OSU’s penalty killers were a flawless 6-for-6 including defense of Healey’s major. The Buckeye power play was officially 3-for-6 and also unofficially led to a fourth goal.
The win and the sweep are great. The distracted and sloppy defending is not. The Buckeyes’ efforts today were enough to defeat an inexperienced and semi-struggling team. Less than complete focus is not going to cut it when they face No. 6 Nebraksa-Omaha in two weeks.
Women Overcome Slow Start, Beat No. 6 North Dakota
The Buckeyes are beat the heck up. Ohio State’s line chart for today’s game featured eleven forwards, four defensemen, and one forward playing defense. Among the injured are goaltender Kassidy Sauve, last season’s WCHA All-Rookie goaltender, and defender Jincy Dunne, a preseason candidate for rookie of the year honors this season.
| scoring by period | 1 | 2 | 3 | final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| No. 6 North Dakota | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
The Bucks have been using a similar lineup for weeks. They’ve been playing pretty well but this week, heading out to face top goalie Shelby Amsley-Benzie and No. 6 North Dakota on the road, victory looked to be a tall order for the Scarlet and Gray. Looks can be deceiving.
North Dakota started strong. The team overpowered Ohio State in the opening frame. UND outshot the Buckeyes 20-9 in the first period. Sophomore netminder Alex LaMere stood tall and turned aside 19 of NoDak’s attempts. The only mark against her came midway through the stanza as Jordan Hampton drew first blood for the home side.
Ohio State came roaring back in the second period. The Buckeyes edged UND 12-9 in shots. Claudia Kepler knotted the score at one all halfway through the frame.
| pd | time | buckeye goal scorers (assists) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 11:56 | Claudia Kepler (Alexa Ranahan, Kendall Curtis) |
| 3 | 13:08 | Kendall Curtis (Claudia Kepler, Julianna Iafallo) |
| 3 | 14:03 | Maddy Field (Katie Matheny, Lauren Boyle) |
The game remained tied until the 11:43 mark of the third. UND’s top point scorer Amy Menke put her team ahead once again. And once again the Buckeyes responded.
OSU’s leading scorer Kendall Curtis tallied the equalizer for the Bucks. Freshman Maddy Field struck a minute later, giving them their first lead of the game. North Dakota skated the final moments with the extra attacker but LaMere refused to relinquish the lead, finishing with 38 saves and securing victory for Ohio State.
Upsetting No. 6 is a fantastic result for OSU. The Buckeyes seem to have taken yet another step forward from last week’s oh-so-close series against No. 4/5 Bemidji State. Ohio State and UND conclude their series tomorrow afternoon at 2pm ET.
