Ohio State and Mercyhurst wrapped up their weekend series on Saturday afternoon as well as the first half of the season schedule. The Buckeyes jumped out to an early lead. However, they couldn’t make it stick. The Lakers lurked just off the pace throughout the day, but closed strong with four unanswered goals.
| Scoring by Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 6/7 Ohio State | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Mercyhurst | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
The opening ten minutes were nearly all Buckeyes. The team outshot the Lakers 8-2 and scored twice. Tatum Skaggs broke the game open at the 2:56 mark. A Dani Sadek goal swiftly made the score 2-0 in favor of OSU.
| Buckeye Goal Scorers (Assists) | Pd | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Tatum Skaggs (Julianna Iafallo, Emma Maltais) | 1 | 2:56 |
| Dani Sadek (Liz Schepers) | 1 | 4:29 |
| Liz Schpers (Lauren Spring) | 2 | 10:04 |
| PP - Jincy Dunne (Emma Maltais, Tatum Skaggs) | 3 | 5:19 |
It wasn't all Buckeyes, though. The Lakers only put a pair of shots on net but one of them beat Kassidy Sauve. Sarah Hine cut Ohio State's lead in half just shy of seven minutes in.
Nicole Guagliardo leveled the score with a goal for Mercyhurst midway through the second period. The Bucks' answer wasn't long in coming. Liz Schepers lit up Laker goalie Sarah McDonnell for a 3-2 Ohio State advantage.
Heading to the third period with only a slight edge on the scoreboard, the Buckeyes were looking to increase their lead. Jincy Dunne delivered with a power play tally. The goal was the first of the season for the hard working blueliner. It should have been an insurance marker, but the Lakers had other ideas. The Bucks couldn't fend off their comeback.
Ohio State held its two goal lead until the 13:27 mark. Then back-to-back goals 88 seconds apart pulled Mercyhurst even once again. Sam Isbell struck at even strength to cut the Bucks’ lead to 4-3. Brooke Hartwick cashed in on a Laker power play to make it 4-4 with five minutes to go in the contest.
With the momentum squarely in their favor the Lakers fired off yet another goal. Celine Frappier gave Mercyhurst its first lead of the day with less than two minutes remaining on the clock. This would turn out to be the game winner.
The Buckeyes had a shot to rally late. They were on the power play for the final minute of the game. They also pulled Sauve for the extra attacker and a 6-on-4 advantage. The Lakers defended their lead, though. Frappier added an empty net tally to seal the win.
A series split wouldn’t have been a terrible result. But giving up four unanswered goals in the third period is...well, pretty terrible. And it is not a fitting end to the team's otherwise impressive first half of the season. The Bucks (12-4-4, 8-2-4-3 WCHA) may take a hit in the rankings for this. It won’t be fatal, though, and I expect they’ll bounce back after the break.
- Ohio State outshot Mercyhurst 29-18 in the tilt, led by Tatum Skagg's six.
- It is the first time this season the Bucks have been defeated when outshooting their opponent.
- Mercyhurst blocked 24 shots in the contest. OSU's shot blockers stopped eight.
- The Scarlet and Gray return to the ice to host a series against Penn State on January 5-6.
