I have never been so happy to be wrong. In this week's series preview I expressed doubt about the likelihood of a Buckeye sweep at Wisconsin. I didn't foresee Penn State dropping both games at Michigan. It looks like I need to polish that crystal ball up because both things came to pass this week.
| scoring by period | 1 | 2 | 3 | final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 15 Ohio State | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| No. 16 Wisconsin | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Ohio State came out tonight with the same effort and focus they displayed in Friday’s win. The Bucks limited their mistakes, remained committed to doing "the little things", and made the most of their opportunities. The Badgers couldn’t overcome an OSU squad firing on all cylinders.
The Buckeyes got on the board early when a Dave Gust breakaway drew a penalty on Wisconsin. On the ensuing power play Matt Tomkins channeled his inner Martin Brodeur and zipped a long distance pass to Mason Jobst, catching the Badgers in a line change and opening a window for the Bucks’ leading scorer. Jobst hustled to the net and potted the power play goal.
Point 50 for Mason Jobst this season was a power play goal in the 1st. First Buckeye with 50 pts since 2003. https://t.co/mvVrleIuJd
— Ohio State M Hockey (@OhioState_MHKY) March 12, 2017
The tally was point No. 50 on the year for Jobst. He becomes the first Buckeye to achieve the half century mark in a season since R. J. Umberger racked 53 points in 2002-03.
Following Jobst’s goal the Badgers slowly began to take a territorial advantage in the game. Tomkins had to be alert (which he was), but he got plenty of assistance from Ohio State’s shot blocking fiends. The Bucks sacrificed their bodies all night long in support of Tomkins. Per the official boxscore they blocked an insane 29 shots in the contest. Josh Healey led the way with eight all on his own.
The pace of the game slowed to a crawl in the middle frame. Shots were at a premium. However the Buckeyes still managed to increase their lead.
The scorching second line trio of Gust, Dakota Joshua, and Kevin Miller put Ohio State ahead, 2-0. Gust and Joshua spread out the Wisconsin defenders. Then a pinpoint pass from Joshua set up Miller for the one-timer.
Kevin Miller finishes the tic-tac-toe play with Joshua and Gust for his 11th goal of the year. https://t.co/QuaoYbVD52 #GoBucks
— Ohio State M Hockey (@OhioState_MHKY) March 12, 2017
The Buckeyes played it safe defensively as the game progressed. However, when a gap did open up the team was quick to exploit it. Their opportunism resulted in several odd man chances and good looks at the Wisconsin net, though Badger goalie Jack Berry was sharp in shutting down most of these tries.
One occasion on which Berry was not successful occurred late in the second period. While killing a penalty, Jobst spied an opening and streaked down the wall with the puck. He laid it up perfectly for Brendon Kearney who roofed the shorty for his second goal of the season.
Jobst with the pass, Kearney with the finish for the Buckeye shorthanded goal. https://t.co/z6g1opiE0F #GoBucks #BTNStandout
— Ohio State M Hockey (@OhioState_MHKY) March 12, 2017
The Bucks would eventually allow a power play goal to Wisconsin’s leading scorer, Luke Kunin, but it doesn’t take away from the outstanding defensive effort put forth by the team tonight. Drew Brevig and Josh Healey were especially notable, tying up sticks, leading the shot blockers, and matching the Badgers’ physicality. Although he got great support, Tomkins was rock solid when he needed to be. He made a handful of really good stops in the contest including a point blank save on Kunin in the latter minutes of the game.
| buckeye goal scorers (assists) | pd | time |
|---|---|---|
| PP - Mason Jobst (Matt Tomkins) | 1 | 2:46 |
| Kevin Miller (Dakota Joshua, Dave Gust) | 2 | 10:42 |
| SH - Brendon Kearney (Mason Jobst, Sasha Larocque) | 2 | 17:39 |
Ohio State’s series sweep brings the Buckeyes’ final regular season record to 20-10-6 overall and 11-8-1-1 in the Big Ten. With Michigan sweeping Penn State, the Bucks finish in third place in the conference, four points up on the Nittany Lions and just one point back of the Badgers. The No. 3 spot is OSU's highest ever finish in the B1G.
This means the Buckeyes will face sixth place Michigan State in the first round of the Big Ten tournament next Thursday. Penn State and Michigan meet as the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds, respectively. Regular season champ Minnesota and second place finisher Wisconsin earn byes and await the winners of the first round games.
