Ohio State and Michigan wrote another chapter in their icy rivalry on Friday. The Wolverines led early but the Buckeyes finished strong and claimed a narrow victory.
| Scoring by Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 15 Ohio State | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| No. 17 Michigan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
The opening period was a spirited one. Neither team surrendered ground without a fight. Clean scoring chances were hard to come by. Michigan settled for a grimy goal at the 11:18 mark.
| Buckeye Goal Scorers (Assists) | Pd | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Freddy Gerard (Tanner Laczynski) | 2 | 1:00 |
| PP - John Wiitala (Wyatt Ege, Ronnie Hein) | 3 | 7:24 |
| Freddy Gerard (unassisted) | 3 | 8:32 |
After winning a faceoff in the Bucks’ zone, the Wolverines worked the puck back to the point. Sam Piazza wound up and blasted a shot through a mass of traffic and into the back of the Buckeye net. OSU goalie Sean Romeo had little to no chance at the save.
Ohio State leveled the score a minute into the second period. Harassment by Matt Weis deep in Michigan’s end opened the door for Tanner Laczynski to steal the puck. Laczynski spied Freddy Gerard camped out in the slot and centered to him. Gerard slammed home the equalizer.
Laczynski finds Gerard for his third goal of the year. pic.twitter.com/JhOGLpW4Cm
— Ohio State M Hockey (@OhioState_MHKY) November 25, 2017
The goal cracked the tight game open for the Bucks. They manufactured several top notch odd man chances. Though they did not score again in the period, there were clear signs the Buckeye offense was revving up.
That offense ran full tilt through the third period. Ohio State outshot Michigan 18-8 in the final frame. They scored twice, surging out to a 3-2 lead. John Wiitala netted the first of those goals. On the power play Wiitala wound up and fired a rising bullet for his fourth goal of season.
John Wiitala put the Buckeyes in the lead with a power play goal in the third. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/KNpZSqWFRt
— Ohio State M Hockey (@OhioState_MHKY) November 25, 2017
Just over a minute later Gerard struck again. Determined work along the wall by Christian Lampasso and Brendon Kearney held the zone through a Buckeye line change. Gerard zipped off the bench, lifted the puck right off a Michigan player’s stick, and deposited it in the back of the net.
Freddy Gerard's second goal of the night was the gamewinner vs the Wolverines. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/FYu3PZb09w
— Ohio State M Hockey (@OhioState_MHKY) November 25, 2017
The Wolverines staged a late rally, scoring once with the extra attacker on. But overall Romeo stood tall. He and the Buckeye defenders held Michigan off and locked up Ohio State’s second Big Ten victory of the season.
OSU outshot Michigan 36-33 in the game. The Bucks went 1-for-3 on the power play. Their penalty killers held the Wolverines scoreless in two tries.
The line of Gerard, Weis, and Laczynski was outstanding tonight. The trio repeatedly generated quality scoring chances. Two goals and an assist almost seems like a small return for the work they did.
In my opinion this was the most complete game Ohio State has skated to date. The Buckeyes will look to repeat the feat tomorrow night. The puck drops on Game 2 at 7:30 p.m.
Other Big Ten Results
Penn State crushed Michigan State, 7-2. A dozen different Nittany Lions recorded points in the victory. Minnesota put twice as many shots on goal as Notre Dame, but a power play goal and stellar goaltending from Cale Morris boosted the Irish to a 1-0 win.
