After three thrilling overtime decisions, Minnesota defeated Ohio State men’s hockey in regulation time on Saturday, providing a somewhat anticlimactic finish to an exhilarating season series. Unfortunately for the Buckeyes they came out on the losing end of each contest. Their final battle was not their best showing, but a third period rally did at least give the team some hope down the stretch.
| scoring by period | 1 | 2 | 3 | final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Ohio State | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Special teams were the story of the first period, an area in which the Bucks usually excel. Tonight they struggled. The power play came up empty in three tries, two full advantages and an abbreviated one.
Adding insult to injury, Hudson Fasching scored shorthanded to give Minnesota an early lead. The junior capitalized on a rare brain fart by OSU’s Christian Frey. The netminder was lured well out of position, leaving a wide open net for Fasching’s easy tap-in.
The Bucks’ deficit deepened at the 17:37 mark. Defensive slip ups left a trailing Connor Reilly uncovered. His uncontested shot beat Frey for a 2-0 Gopher lead.
The second period settled into a slow slog up and down the ice, nothing like the three previous high-paced contests between the teams. Ohio State registered just one shot over the initial 12 minutes of the frame.
| pd | time | buckeye goal scorer (assists) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 14:58 | Mason Jobst (Dave Gust, Drew Brevig) |
| 3 | 3:32 | Luke Stork (Sasha Larocque, Christian Frey) |
| 3 | 11:45 | John Wiitala (Dave Gust, Drew Brevig) |
OSU’s second shot was a doozy as Anthony Greco broke free for a shorthanded attempt. However, though Eric Schierhorn hadn’t been called upon often, he was up to the challenge. The Gopher goalie stymied Greco for a third time this series.
Fasching potted his second goal of the contest with a shade over five minutes remaining on the clock. Ohio State’s standout freshman, Mason Jobst, responded immediately, snapping off his ninth goal of the season. But a Leon Bristedt tally in the waning moments gave the visitors a seemingly insurmountable 4-1 advantage going into the third period.
The Buckeyes started a rally in the final frame. Luke Stork launched the first assault, sneaking behind the Gopher D and swooping in to beat Schierhorn. John Wiitala drew the Bucks within a goal midway through the period, firing the puck in and out of the net so quickly that further review was necessary to ensure the puck had really gone in.
Unlike last night, Ohio State couldn’t find the extra-attacker magic needed to force overtime. The Buckeyes came out on the short end of a 4-3 score. Minnesota outshot OSU 32-23 in the game. Neither the Bucks (0-for-4) nor the Gophers (0-for-2) converted a power play try.
Ohio State hits the road next week. The team travels to Pegula Ice Arena to face Penn State. Games are slated for 6:30 p.m. on Friday and 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.
- With a pair of assists tonight, Dave Gust has recorded a point in a whopping 15 consecutive games.
- The Buckeye hockey women also found themselves on the wrong end of the brooms on Saturday. No. 7 Bemidji State rolled to a 6-2 victory. Senior defenseman Cara Zubko and freshman forward Maddy Field scored in the loss.
- Other Big Ten results: Michigan State and Penn State played to a 2-2 draw with the Nittany Lions securing an extra point for their shootout win. Michigan and Wisconsin also went the distance, finishing at 4-4. The Wolverines picked up the bonus point in the shootout.
