Going into tonight’s game there were questions about the Buckeyes’ defense, which bleed goals in the last four games, and their penalty kill, currently rated dead last in the nation. There may be fewer questions now. The Bucks’ PK unit was flawless on Friday as the team blanked Rensselaer, 4-0.
| scoring by period | 1 | 2 | 3 | final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 13/14 Ohio State | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Rensselaer | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The majority of the first period belonged to the goaltenders. The teams traded chances and power play opportunities throughout the frame, but Ohio State’s Matt Tomkins and RPI’s Cam Hackett kept the nets clean. The Buckeyes finally broke through with a just over a minute to play. Dakota Joshua potted his second goal of the season, giving OSU a 1-0 lead at the break.
| pd | time | buckeye goal scorers (assists) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18:58 | Dakota Joshua (Miguel Fidler, Drew Brevig) |
| 2 | 7:15 | PP - Nick Schilkey (Matt Weis) |
| 3 | 7:57 | Nick Schilkey (Mason Jobst, Tanner Laczynski) |
| 3 | 19:44 | EN - Tanner Laczynski (unassisted) |
Ohio State increased its lead in the second period. A pair of RPI penalties gave the Buckeyes a 5-on-3 advantage. Nick Schilkey made the Engineers pay. The captain added an eleventh goal to his resume and sent the Bucks to the final frame with a two goal edge.
RPI was strong out of the intermission and controlled the game through the first half of the third period. This led to a two-man advantage for the Engineers. The Buckeye penalty killers stood tall during the exchange. They allowed only one shot through to Tomkins which the netminder calmly turned it aside.
The home team continued to dictate the pace. However it was the visitors who lit the lamp next. A point blank shot by Mason Jobst was blocked by Hackett. A fat, juicy rebound popped out to Schilkey. He wired it directly to the back of the net for an even dozen goals on the season.
The Engineers played the final 1:20 of the game with the extra attacker to no avail. Tanner Laczynski danced through the RPI players and iced the win with an empty netter. With the win the Ohio State improves to 7-1-4 on the season.
Tomkins stopped 28 shots in the shutout. It was the first whitewash of the year for the Buckeyes and the third of Tomkins’ career. He was assisted throughout the game by a stellar penalty killing effort. The Buckeyes successfully thwarted all five RPI advantages while going 1-for-3 on their own power play chances.
The teams wrap up their series on Saturday night. Game time is scheduled for 7pm ET. The contest can be streamed live online for free via RPI TV.
Women Take Down Mavericks
The Ohio State women also skated away with a victory on Friday. The Buckeyes defeated Minnesota State by a final score of 2-1. The win bumps the Bucks’ record to 7-7-1 overall and 3-7-1-0 in the WCHA.
| scoring by period | 1 | 2 | 3 | final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Minnesota State | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Julianna Iafallo put OSU on the board late in the first period. Rebecca Freiburger staked the Bucks to a 2-0 lead in the middle frame. Jordan McLaughlin responded for the Mavericks. But Buckeye goalie Kassidy Sauve shut the door for the remainder of the contest.
| pd | time | buckeye goal scorers (assists) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18:53 | Julianna Iafallo (Erin Langermeier, Dani Sadek) |
| 2 | 6:36 | Rebecca Freiburger (unassisted) |
Sauve made 33 saves in the game. MSU’s Kathryn Bidulka stopped 24. Both teams went 0-for on their power play chances. Ohio State came up empty in three opportunities and Minnesota State in four.
The Bucks and Mavs conclude their weekend series on Saturday. Game time is set for 3pm ET. You can stream the game live online for a fee through via MSU.
