The Drought is Over
Caleb Downs scores Ohio State’s first punt return touchdown since 2014.
After narrowly losing Friday's series opener to the No. 9/10 Gophers, the No. 6 men's hockey Buckeyes hit the ice on Saturday looking for a victory and a series split. They didn't quite achieve that goal but they did nab two points in a shootout win to lock up a second place finish in the Big Ten.
| Scoring by Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | Final | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 6 Ohio State | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| No. 9/10 Minnesota | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
The opening period belonged to the goaltenders. Sean Romeo and Mat Robson faced off in a duel which saw the netminders stop a combined 18 shots. They continued the battle in the middle frame, trading saves and keeping the score knotted at 0-0.
| Buckeye Goal Scorers (Assist) | Pd | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Mason Jobst (Freddy Gerard) | 2 | 19:29 |
| Tanner Laczynski | SO | |
| Gordi Myer | SO |
The Buckeyes made the latter half of the second period unnecessarily exciting by taking three penalties in a three-minute span. But Romeo found another gear and the nation’s top-ranked penalty kill held the Gophers off despite an extended 5-on-3 disadvantage.
The Bucks gained momentum from their successful kills. A few minutes later, with seconds to spare in the period, Mason Jobst rang up a goal for the Scarlet and Gray. It was tally No. 14 for the Buckeye captain. Freddy Gerard assisted on the play.
Minnesota nearly tied things up before the buzzer. However, Tommy Novak’s shot turned out to be just a loud miss as it dinged the goal post. Ohio State maintained a slim 1-0 lead at the second intermission.
Midway through the third period, the Gophers fired off an equalizer. Brent Gates Jr. beat Romeo for the second time in the series. Given the level at which Romeo was operating in this game, one can only assume some sort of black magic was involved in this goal.
Neither side struck again in regulation or the overtime session. The game officially ended in a 1-1 tie. Then the teams squared off in a shootout to determine ownership of the extra conference point.
Tanner Laczynski and Gordi Myer scored for the Buckeyes. Romeo stoned seven of the Gophers' eight shooters. OSU claimed two points from the game and clinched a second place finish in the Big Ten.
Ohio State (19-8-5, 12-8-2-1 B1G) wraps up the regular season next week with a home series against Wisconsin. The Bucks and Badgers are scheduled for a Friday-Saturday series.
- Ohio State topped Minnesota in shots, 39-35. Tanner Laczynski led the Bucks with eight.
- Other Big Ten results: Penn State edged Michigan State, 3-2. Notre Dame and Michigan conclude their series on Sunday afternoon at 5:30 pm. That game airs live on BTN.
- Updated B1G standings: Notre Dame 50 points, Ohio State 39, Michigan 35, Minnesota 33, Wisconsin 28, Penn State 28, Michigan State 18.
