| scoring by period | 1 | 2 | 3 | final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 14 Ohio State | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Michigan State | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
I’m not sure how familiar you all are with Italian baked goods, but there is a cookie called “brutti ma buoni,” or in English “ugly but good.” They look like crap but taste delicious. Almost as good as pizzelle.
Anyway... Brutti ma buoni sums up the hockey Bucks' win tonight at Michigan State fairly well. It wasn’t a pretty game but at the end of the day the victory is still sweet. Scoring was back-and-forth in the first period. Dakota Joshua led off for Ohio State with his ninth goal of the season.
Joshua scored his 9th of the year in the first. https://t.co/EpvCw9nseZ #GoBucks
— Ohio State M Hockey (@OhioState_MHKY) February 18, 2017
Brennan Sanford responded with a goal for Michigan State. Then Tanner Laczynski boosted the Buckeyes back into the lead. A last second power play goal by Villiam Haag evened the score at 2-2.
Laczynski with his 9th of the year in the first period. https://t.co/N4RtSICR9H #GoBucks
— Ohio State M Hockey (@OhioState_MHKY) February 18, 2017
The middle frame was scoreless but far from uneventful. The teams ramped up the physicality. The officials sent a steady stream of players to the box for rough play. The second period saw three roughing penalties and one each for checking from behind, interference, embellishing, and elbowing.
OSU pulled ahead early in the third period. As a Buckeye power play expired, John Wiitala rang up his tenth goal of the season. Laczynski and Matt Miller assisted on the play. The helper was the second of the night for Miller, making this his first career multi-point outing.
Buckeyes win! John Wiitala's third period goal lifts Ohio State to a 3-2 win over MSU. https://t.co/0VjuKLn8aL #GoBucks
— Ohio State M Hockey (@OhioState_MHKY) February 18, 2017
Back-to-back Buckeye penalties following Wiitala’s goal gave Michigan State a golden opportunity to tie things up. Solid work by the Buckeye penalty killers and netminder Christian Frey held the Spartans off. Ohio State’s PK finished the night 4-for-5.
| buckeye goal scorers (assists) | pd | time |
|---|---|---|
| Dakota Joshua (Janik Moser) | 1 | 10:25 |
| Tanner Laczynski (Matt Miller) | 1 | 15:27 |
| John Wiitala (Tanner Laczynski, Matt Miller) | 3 | 1:44 |
With 4:47 to go MSU briefly appeared to tie the game. However, after a thorough review, the officials determined the puck was played with a high stick and waved the goal off. The Spartans pulled goalie John Lethemon in the final 1:25 for the extra attacker but the Buckeyes shut the game down and locked up a 3-2 win.
Ohio State improves to 15-8-6 overall and 6-6-1-1 in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes and Spartans meet again tomorrow evening. Opening faceoff is set for 7pm ET. The game is not televised but can be streamed live online with a BTN Plus subscription.
- Christian Frey made 33 saves in his seventh victory of the year.
- Mason Jobst led the Buckeyes in shots (5) but saw his point streak end at 14 games.
- Other Big Ten finals: Minnesota defeated Penn State, 6-3.
