The men’s hockey Buckeyes rolled into Massachusetts with zero wins in its last three outings. One reason for the winless streak was an under performing power play. Emphasis on “was.” The Bucks are celebrating tonight and they have special teams to thank for the victory.
| Scoring by Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Massachusetts | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Ohio State outshot Massachusetts in the first period, 7-4. But it was UMass getting on the board first with a goal at the 10:01 mark from Niko Hildenbrand. OSU rallied and responded. Sophomore defenseman Matt Miller notched the team’s first opening period goal of the season. It was also his first score of the year.
The Buckeyes took the lead midway through the middle frame. Captain Mason Jobst capitalized on a 5-on-3 situation. The goal gave the Bucks a 2-1 lead and snapped the power play's 0-for-the-season skid.
| Buckeye Goal Scorers (Assists) | Pd | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Miller (Sam McCormick, Bredon Kearney) | 1 | 15:32 |
| PP - Mason Jobst (Matt Weis, Tanner Laczynski) | 2 | 11:17 |
| PP - Mason Jobst (John Wiitala, Dakota Joshua) | 3 | 4:07 |
The next time it rolled out, early in the third period, Ohio State’s power play struck again. Again it was Jobst potting the goal. A 3-1 lead would prove to be more than enough for goalie Sean Romeo. He locked the win up with an 11 save third period, the finishing touch on a 24 stop effort for the game.
On paper this looks like a pretty even contest. The Minutemen topped the Buckeyes by only one shot. Massachusetts had five power plays in the tilt. Ohio State had four. The big difference is that the Bucks executed just a little better on special teams. The Scarlet and Gray cashed in twice with the advantage and the team’s penalty killers aced the game with a perfect 5-for-5 slate.
The Bucks and Minutemen meet again tomorrow night at 8pm ET. A radio broadcast and live video stream of the game are available through UMass Athletics.
