Men’s hockey got back to work tonight. In their first action since the holiday break, the No. 9 Buckeyes started strong, then faltered in the middle. But late game heroics from the team’s top line carried the day.
| Scoring by Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niagara | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| No. 9 Ohio State | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
Ohio State commanded the first period. An early Buckeye power play put Niagara on its heels and the Bucks’ defense made sure the Purple Eagles stayed there. Neither of Niagara’s top scorers, Derian Plouffe or Tanner Lomsnes, recorded a shot attempt, let alone an actual shot on goal. OSU outshot Niagara 15-8.
| Buckeye Goal Scorers (Assists) | Pd | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Miller (Kevin Miller, Mason Jobst) | 1 | 15:57 |
| Sam McCormick (Matt Joyaux, Brendon Kearney) | 1 | 16:28 |
| Tanner Laczynski (Freddy Gerard, Matt Weis) | 3 | 19:53 |
Back-to-back goals late in the opening frame gave the Scarlet and Gray a 2-0 lead. Defenseman Matt Miller got the scoring started. Sam McCormick tipped home a second Buckeye goal just 31 seconds later.
Ohio State’s solid defense would not last, though, and Niagara slowly battled back. The visitors cut into the Buckeye lead with a power play goal midway through the second period. The Purple Eagles drew even with 5:17 to go in the game. Sam Rennaker, the author of several of Niagara’s better chances throughout the contest, tipped the tying goal past Sean Romeo.
Though he surrendered the tying goal, overall Romeo stood tall in the third period. He made several critical saves on quality Niagara chances. The Buckeye netminder kept the Purple Eagles from running away with the game. This set the stage for some last second heroics.
P3 9:29 | Glorious chance for Tanner Lomsnes off the turnover from behind the Ohio State net, but Romeo makes the save again. pic.twitter.com/3K1L6rlJ5n
— Niagara Hockey (@NiagaraUHockey) December 30, 2017
With six ticks left on the clock Ohio State’s high flying trio of Freddy Gerard, Matt Weis, and Tanner Laczynski teamed up to engineer a last ditch victory. Laczynski potted a bouncing rebound and secured a 3-2 Buckeye win. Gerard and Weis picked up the assists.
OSU survives the scare and improves to 11-4-4 overall on the season. The Bucks and Purple Eagles tangle again tomorrow night. Opening faceoff is set for 8pm. No television or radio coverage of the game is scheduled but it can be streamed live online with a BTN Plus subscription.
- Ohio State edged Niagara in shots 32-30.
- Freddy Gerard and Matt Weis led Ohio State with four shots each. Weis had an additional two shots ring the post.
- The Buckeyes blocked 13 shots to Niagara’s eight.
- Gordi Myer (four blocks) was tops for the game.
