Heading into Thursday’s Big Ten quarterfinal match up the hockey Buckeyes and Spartans had played consecutive overtime games. You can make that three straight OT games now. And while you’re at it, run the Buck's unbeaten streak to eight games and jot down “playoff hero” next to Mason Jobst’s name.
| scoring by period | 1 | 2 | 3 | ot | final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Ohio State | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
Ohio State took command of the first period in the opening minute. Dave Gust intercepted a Michigan State outlet, beginning the play that ended in the Buckeyes’ first goal. Mason Jobst fed John Wiitala a backhand pass which the Lakeville, Minnesota native banked off MSU goalie Jake Hildebrand and into the net.
The Bucks kept the pedal to floor throughout the frame. They outshot the Spartans 19-4. Every line generated a scoring chance. The fourth line - Brendon Kearney, Dakota Joshua, and Kevin Miller - was particularly notable. It was no surprise that the trio’s grinding possesion led to the team’s second goal.
| pd | time | buckeye goal scorers (assists) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0:38 | John Wiitala (Mason Jobst) |
| 1 | 18:52 | Tommy Parran (Josh Healey, Kevin Miller) |
| 3 | 3:17 | Matt Weis (Drew Brevig, Josh Healey) |
| 4 | 13:47 | Mason Jobst (Craig Dalrymple) |
With just over a minute remaining, the hard work of the fourth line sent the puck to an open Josh Healey. The defenseman walked the puck along the blue line and blasted a shot on goal. Hildebrand kicked out a big rebound. Healey’s defensive partner Tommy Parran swooped in and fired it deep into the back of the net for a 2-0 Buckeye lead.
The Bucks were in position to put the game away, but Michigan State came roaring back in the second period. Ohio State’s aggressive, physical game resulted in back-to-back-to-back penalties, the last of which was a major. The Spartans’ power play unit destroyed OSU’s penalty kill. MSU held the zone almost continually, parked players in front of the net for screens and deflections, and scored three times to take a 3-2 lead.
When the Buckeyes returned to full strength for good they immediately resumed their physical game. The Kearney-Joshua-Miller line jump started the offense and the Bucks began to formulate a response. Michigan State did not put a shot on goal in the final nine and a half minutes of the period.
Ohio State kept the pressure on coming out of the second intermission. Three minutes in, Matt Weis netted the game tying tally. An offensive zone faceoff win went D-to-D. Drew Brevig fired the puck at the net. It pinballed through traffic where Weis collected it and feathered it past Hildebrand.
MSU pushed back but Christian Frey stood tall over the final ten minutes. The Buckeye goalie shut the Spartans down time after time. At the other end of the ice, Hildebrand matched his efforts. The teams would need overtime to decide a winner.
Both teams had their chances in the extra session but overall the ice was decidedly tilted in Ohio State’s favor. The Buckeyes swarmed the Spartan zone again and again. At the 13:47 mark they finally broke though.
Craig Dalrymple stepped into a Michigan State clearing attempt. The OSU captain’s blast ricocheted off Hildebrand and right to Mason Jobst. The freshman slammed the rebound home, defeating MSU and sending the Bucks on to the Big Ten semifinals.
Ohio State is now just two wins from a B1G tourney title and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The Bucks next hurdle is a showdown with top conference seed Minnesota. The Buckeyes and Gophers face off Friday night at 8:30 p.m. ET. The game will air live on BTN.
- In the other half of the bracket: Penn State took an early lead against Wisconsin and held off the Badgers to win by a final score of 5-2. The Nittany Lions move on to the semis where they square off against Michigan. That game begins at 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday and also airs live on BTN.
