The No. 6 men’s hockey Buckeyes had two reasons to celebrate on Saturday. The first was the feting of their outgoing seniors. The second was a 4-0 win over and series sweep of Wisconsin.
| Scoring by Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 6 Ohio State | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
After a scoreless first period, Ohio State’s offense exploded for three goals in the second stanza. Mason Jobst drew first blood. John Wiitala didn’t get an assist on the play but he was critical to its success as a net front distraction for Wisconsin goalie Jack Berry.
Jobst opened the scoring in the second period, assisted by Kearney and Ege. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/WIeRJlzMeX
— Ohio State M Hockey (@OhioState_MHKY) February 25, 2018
Near the midpoint of the period OSU delivered a one-two knockout combination to Wisconsin. It all happened over a two minute stretch. And it began, unpromisingly, with a Buckeye penalty.
Though the Badgers outnumbered the Bucks, the nation’s No. 1 penalty kill offered Wisconsin no advantage at all. Jobst burned the Badgers for a shorthanded goal. Now remember, the Buckeyes are down a man on this 3-on-1 score.
Tic-tac-toe. Buckeyes with a 3-on-1 chance shorthanded and Jobst finishes, set up by Wiitala and Myer. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/xKqKgjWPZy
— Ohio State M Hockey (@OhioState_MHKY) February 25, 2018
A little over a minute later, the Buckeye PK nearly netted another shorty. Christian Lampasso collected the puck near the red line, bedazzled Jack Berry with some shifty fakes, and deposited a third OSU goal. The tally missed being shorthanded by only a second or two.
Senior goal on Senior Night! Lampasso converts a breakaway for his eighth goal of the year, putting the Buckeyes up 3-0. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/vzSKVFJlhD
— Ohio State M Hockey (@OhioState_MHKY) February 25, 2018
Wisconsin went on the power play down by a goal and with an excellent opportunity to even the score. The Badgers finished their power play in a three-goal hole. It was the perfect end to a regular season in which Ohio State’s PK unit was demoralizingly effective.
The Buckeyes were in 123 shorthanded situations over the course of the regular season. They surrendered only 11 power play goals to their opponents. No team in the nation was stingier.
| Buckeye Goal Scorers (Assists) | Pd | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Mason Jobst (Brendon Kearney, Wyatt Ege) | 2 | 6:43 |
| SH - Mason Jobst (John Wiitala, Gordi Myer) | 2 | 11:19 |
| Christian Lampasso (Brendon Kearney) | 2 | 12:29 |
| EN - Christian Lampasso (Wyatt Ege) | 3 | 19:40 |
Lampasso drove the knife in a little deeper with a late empty net goal. Well, technically the Badgers drove it in themselves. A Wisconsin player threw his stick to deflect Lampasso's shot and the goal was awarded due to the Badger defender being a Cheater McCheaterface. To-may-to, to-mah-to.
Four goals would bemore than enough support for Tommy Nappier. The Buckeye freshman made his fourth start in net for the Scarlet and Gray on Saturday. He stopped all 31 shots he faced to earn his first career shutout.
The Buckeyes finish the regular season with a 21-8-5 overall record. They went 14-8-2-1 in the Big Ten and claimed second place in the conference. When the B1G playoffs begin next week Ohio State will host last place (but red hot) Michigan State in a best-of-three series.
- Shots were even at 31 apiece. Mason Jobst led OSU with a beast-like seven shots.
- Other Big Ten results: No. 18 Penn State swept No. 8 Minnesota with a 5-2 win. Michigan State continued its strong stretch run with a 4-2 upset of No. 3/5 Notre Dame. No. 13 Michigan topped Arizona State, 5-3, in non-conference action.
- Final B1G standings: Notre Dame 53 points, Ohio State 45, Michigan 38, Penn State 34, Minnesota 31, Wisconsin 28, Michigan State 21.
