Going into Friday’s game at Connecticut, the men’s hockey Buckeyes had played a grand total of two games all-time against the Huskies. Both were thrilling, back-and-forth affairs. This contest was no different as Ohio State took a narrow 5-4 decision.
| Scoring by Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 17 Ohio State | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Connecticut | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
OSU jumped out to an uncharacteristic early lead. Matt Weis and Tanner Laczynski needed just 40 seconds to give the Buckeyes a 1-0 lead. Later in the period the pair hooked up again, extending OSU’s advantage to two goals. In the opening stages of the second period Dakota Joshua added to the lead. The Toronto Maple Leafs prospect cashed in on a power play to make it 3-0, Ohio State.
| Buckeye Goal Scorers (Assists) | Pd | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Weis (Tanner Laczynksi, Sasha Larocque) | 1 | 0:40 |
| Matt Weis (Tanner Laczynski, Gordi Myer) | 1 | 7:57 |
| PP - Dakota Joshua (Mason Jobst, Matt Miller) | 2 | 4:13 |
| PP - Mason Jobst (Matt Miller, Matt Weis) | 3 | 3:58 |
| Christian Lampasso (Gordi Myer, Dakota Joshua) | 3 | 7:37 |
You’d think a three goal cushion would mean smooth sailing for the Bucks to the end. You’d be wrong. UConn dominated the remainder of the second period. The Huskies outshot the Bucks 19-4 in the frame and scored twice, cutting OSU’s lead to 3-2.
The teams traded power play goals in the third period. Mason Jobst tallied for the Buckeyes. Jesse Schwartz potted his second goal of the night for Connecticut. At the 7:37 mark Christian Lampasso stuffed his second score of the season to give Ohio State a bit of breathing room.
Lampasso came perilously close to going from hero to goat. Minutes after scoring he was hit with a major penalty for hitting from behind. Fortunately his teammates rallied and killed off the Huskies’ five minute power play.
But UConn refused to die. With three minutes to go the Huskies pulled their goaltender late in favor of the extra attacker. Max Kalter struck almost immediately, drawing within a goal of the Buckeyes.
A last minute penalty to Sasha Larocque in addition to the empty net gave UConn a 6-on-4 advantage for the final 58 seconds of play. Ohio State managed to thwart the Huskies’ last ditch efforts, though. The Bucks prevailed by a 5-4 margin.
Buckeye freshman Tommy Nappier got his first career start in the contest. He made 35 saves in his first career win, including a penalty shot attempt by Benjamin Freeman. Weis led the OSU offense with three points, two goals and one assist.
OSU won the special teams battle. The Bucks went 2-for-4 on the power play. Their penalty killers stopped four of UConn’s five advantages. The Huskies outshot Ohio State 39-21 in the game.
The teams meet again tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 p.m. in what will no doubt be another wild and woolly, heart-attack inducing tilt.
