Well, that No. 1 ranking was nice while it lasted. Ohio State was slow out of the gate in its home opener against Massachusetts and paid the price. The Bucks would rally in the second half of the contest but never managed to work their way out of that early hole.
| Scoring by Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| No. 1 Ohio State | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
It wouldn’t be accurate to say the Buckeyes struggled to generate offense in the first period. Struggling would have been an improvement. UMass outshot OSU 14-9 in the frame including a 10-3 margin in the first ten or so minutes.
| Buckeye Goal Scorers (Assists) | Pd | Time |
|---|---|---|
| PS - Carson Meyer | 2 | 12:53 |
| PP - Carson Meyer (Tanner Laczynski, Wyatt Ege) | 2 | 18:22 |
| Dakota Joshua (Gustaf Westlund, Sean Romeo) | 3 | 9:09 |
What shots the Bucks managed to put on net came from their blue liners. Close to 15 minutes ticked off the clock before a Buckeye forward registered a shot. Nearly every one of OSU’s attempts was a one-and-done effort. Minuteman goalie Matt Murray handled them easily.
At the other end of the ice Sean Romeo had his hands full. He fended off 12 of the 14 pucks that reached the net but UMass struck twice in the period. Brett Boeing notched a goal for the Minutemen on a delayed penalty. John Leonard added a power play tally.
The second period began in much the same lackluster fashion for the Scarlet and Gray. At the 6:19 mark, Bobby Trivigno turned an Ohio State turnover into a 3-0 UMass lead. Then the Buckeyes finally woke up.
Their pace picked up. They started putting pressure on Murray. With a little over seven minutes to go, Dakota Joshua sprang Carson Meyer on a breakaway. Meyer was pulled down by Cale Makar and awarded a penalty shot. The Blue Jackets prospect wired a shot to the top corner for his second goal of the season.
GOAL
— Ohio State Men's Hockey (@OhioStateMHKY) October 20, 2018
Carson Meyer gets the Buckeyes on the board with a penalty shot lamp lighter.#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/vUZMG58r0E
The Bucks continued to press the Minutemen. Their hustle led to a power play chance late in the second period. Ohio State made short work of the advantage. Dakota Joshua won the faceoff. Tanner Laczynski served up a beauty of a pass. Meyer finished the play with second score of the game.
GOAL
— Ohio State Men's Hockey (@OhioStateMHKY) October 20, 2018
Meyer x2
Carson Meyer's second of the night with a beautiful setup by Tanner Laczynski pulls the Scarlet and Gray within 1.#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/nZEyOxtg5T
The Buckeye rally hit a road block in the third period. A power play goal by Philip Lagunov briefly gave the Minutemen a 4-2 advantage. Less than minute later, John Wiitala appeared to answer for the Bucks.
The officials waived the goal off - it was allegedly played with a high stick - to the exceeding displeasure of the Ohio State bench. Seconds after they resumed the game, Joshua delivered an unmistakable third Buckeye goal. Gustaf Westlund and Romeo picked up assists on the play for their first points as Buckeyes.
GOAL! Joshua makes it a one-goal game. Assists to Westlund and Romeo, their first assists as Buckeyes. UMass 4, OSU 3, 9:58 left/3rd. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/VLSAfyFmiV
— Ohio State Men's Hockey (@OhioStateMHKY) October 20, 2018
Unfortunately this was as close as the Buckeyes would come. Trivigno chipped in another score and Makar added an empty net tally. The final damage was UMass 6, Ohio State 3.
It was not Romeo's best night in goal, but he is hardly the only one at fault in the loss. The Bucks didn't show up for the first half of the game. They showed relentless drive in the attempted rally. It's just a shame that they couldn't tap into that energy earlier in the contest before falling into a three-goal hole.
Ohio State looks for a better start and a more complete effort as their series concludes tomorrow evening. The Bucks and Minutemen square off on Saturday at 5pm ET. Fans not attending in person can once again stream the action live with a BTN PLus subscription.
