The men’s hockey Bucks completed the pre-Big Ten portion of their schedule with a win over Rensselaer. The series sweep brings the Buckeyes’ record to 8-1-4. Here’s how their latest victory went down.
| scoring by period | 1 | 2 | 3 | final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 13/14 Ohio State | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Rensselaer | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Ohio State was clearly committed to defense at the outset of the game. It didn’t hamper the team’s scoring ability, though. Just as they did in last night’s win, the Buckeyes were quick to attack when the opportunity presented itself. One such chance came late in the first period.
| pd | time | buckeye goal scorers (assists) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14:48 | Luke Stork (Mason Jobst, Matt Miller) |
| 2 | 9:51 | Sam McCormick (Tanner Laczynski, John Wiitala) |
| 3 | 9:56 | Tanner Laczynski (Josh Healey) |
Mason Jobst feathered a shot on net. Matt Miller and Luke Stork crashed the net and Stork knocked the puck in for a 1-0 lead. Miller was credited with an assist on the play which means that every non-goaltender on Ohio State’s roster has now recorded at least one point this season.
RPI pulled even with the Bucks in the second period. With the Engineers on their second power play of the stanza, Jacob Hayhurst found a soft spot in the OSU defense. He picked the corner on Matt Tomkins, leveling the score at 1-1.
Ohio State responded. Sam McCormick deftly directed a shot past RPI goalie Chase Perry from the doorstep. The good hands goal was the freshman’s first collegiate tally.
Rensselaer knotted the score again at the 12:44 mark. The Buckeyes, who had been making a steady trek to the penalty box since the beginning of the second period, found themselves down two men for an extended length of time. Riley Bourbonnais wasted no time hammering home RPI’s second goal of the game.
The score remained tied until midway through the third period. With the teams skating 4-on-4 Tanner Laczynski used the extra elbow room to get an open look on net. The rookie ripped his fifth goal of the year past Perry, putting the Bucks ahead again, 3-2.
With time winding down the Engineers rolled out the extra attacker and swarmed the Buckeye net. Tomkins and the OSU defenders dug in and preserved their lead. The senior netminder finished the game with 22 saves, half of them coming in the final frame.
The Bucks have a bye next week. They’ll use the time to prepare for their Big Ten opener at No. 7 Minnesota. That series gets underway December 2 at 9pm ET on Big Ten Network.
Women Fall Short in Minnesota State Finale
Ohio State dropped a 2-1 decision to Minnesota State this afternoon. The Mavericks built a two goal lead. The Buckeyes rallied briefly but could not find the equalizer.
| scoring by period | 1 | 2 | 3 | final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Minnesota State | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
MSU dented OSU goalie Kassidy Sauve at the 7:46 mark of the first period. The Mavs added a second tally midway through the middle frame. Buckeye freshman Crystal Sorem narrowed the gap before the intermission, scoring with 18 seconds left on the clock.
| pd | time | buckeye goal scorer (assists) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 19:42 | Crystal Sorem (Maddy Field, Dani Sadek) |
Try as they might, the Bucks couldn’t get any more rubber past Minnesota State netminder Katie Bidulka. One of their best opportunities came early in the third period when MSU was whistled for too many players on the ice. But the Mavs shut the door and skated away with the victory.
The teams split the series. With the loss Ohio State drops to 7-8-1 on the year. The Buckeyes are 3-8-1-0 in the WCHA. At the midpoint of the conference season, they are tied with Bemidji State for sixth spot, four points behind fifth place St. Cloud.
The OSU women are also off next week. They regroup and prepare to host No. 9 North Dakota the following Friday and Saturday.
