Ohio State men’s hockey dove back into Big Ten play with a statement win over No. 2 Penn State. The Buckeyes defeated the Nittany Lions 3-0 on Friday night thanks to a stellar 46 save effort from goaltender Christian Frey. With the win OSU moves to 10-3-4 overall and 2-1-0-0 in the B1G.
| scoring by period | 1 | 2 | 3 | final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 2 Penn State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 11 Ohio State | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
As expected, Penn State came out firing. The Nittany Lions outshot the Bucks 16-8 in the opening period. However it was the home team on top at the first intermission. Senior blue liner Drew Brevig netted his first goal of the season late in the stanza, giving Ohio State a 1-0 lead.
The teams battled back and forth in the middle frame. For 19 minutes neither side budged. Then, with seconds remaining on the clock, Luke Stork increased the Buckeye advantage. The junior pounced on a Mason Jobst faceoff win and swiftly beat PSU goalie Peyton Jones.
| pd | time | buckeye goal scorers (assists) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17:45 | Drew Brevig (Gordi Myer, Brendon Kearney) |
| 2 | 19:33 | Luke Stork (Mason Jobst) |
| 3 | 18:16 | EN - John Wiitala (Brendon Kearney, Luke Stork) |
The Nittany Lions came roaring out of the second intermission. They peppered the Ohio State net with 17 shots but Frey stood tall. The senior netminder thwarted attempt after attempt. Penn State could not find a crack in the Buckeye wall.
As time wound down John Wiitala cemented OSU’s victory with an empty net goal. Ohio State's 3-0 win marks the first time this season the Nittany Lions' NCAA-leading offense has been shut out. Heck, it's the first time this year they've been held to fewer than three goals.
So far, so good for Ohio State in its Big Ten campaign. In their first two series the Buckeyes have faced their two toughest conference foes. Each time they came away with a win.
And, off course, this series isn’t over yet. OSU and PSU meet again tomorrow night at 8pm ET. If the Bucks can pull out another victory they’ll be sitting on a pretty good foundation for the rest of the season.
Top Line Shines in Women's Victory over Penn State
Ohio State women’s hockey began 2017 with a bang, defeating Penn State 5-0. The outpouring of goals is a season high for the Buckeyes. Nearly every player contributed a shot in the contest but at the end of the day the scoreboard was dominated by OSU’s top line of Katie Matheny, Maddy Field, and Julianna Iafallo.
| scoring by period | 1 | 2 | 3 | final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Penn State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Though the trio didn’t officially factor in the game’s opening goals, it was on the ice early in the first period when defenders Jincy Dunne and Dani Sadek teamed up to give the Bucks a 1-0 lead. The top line took over from there.
Matheny lit up the scoreboard three times. It was the first hat trick of the senior’s career. Iafallo was the wizard behind the curtain, assisting on each of Matheny’s goals. Field struck for her team-leading seventh goal of the season and chipped in an assist as well.
| pd | time | buckeye goal scorers (assists) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2:14 | Jincy Dunne (Dani Sadek) |
| 1 | 7:59 | Katie Matheny (Julianna Iafallo, Maddy Field) |
| 1 | 10:14 | Katie Matheny (Julianna Iafallo) |
| 2 | 19:19 | Maddy Field (unassisted) |
| 3 | 6:53 | Katie Matheny (Julianna Iafallo) |
All told the Buckeyes’ top line was a collective +15 for the game with four goals and four assists. It was also a notable night for top defensive pair Jincy Dunne and Dani Sadek. The duo was +8 and scored what turned out to be the game winning goal.
It is a testament to the top line’s outstanding effort that Kassidy Sauve’s fifth shutout of the season is almost a footnote to this story. Sauve stopped all 29 shots that Penn State threw at her. She and the Buckeyes are now 5-0-0 in non-conference games with a grand total of one goal against.
Ohio State and Penn State wrap up their series tomorrow. The game is scheduled to begin at 2pm ET. Fans can stream the game online with a BTN Plus subscription.
