No. 1 (for now) Ohio State men’s hockey returned the ice less than 24 hours after being upset in its home opener by unranked Massachusetts. Both teams made changes in net. Fille Lindberg came in for UMass. Sophomore Tommy Nappier took over for Sean Romeo in the Buckeye net. It would be a busy day for both netminders.
| Scoring by Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| No. 1 Ohio State | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
UMass drew first blood. Mitchell Chaffee staked the visitors to a 1-0 lead at the 6:00 mark of the first period. But the Minutemen did not have long to enjoy their lead. Just 13 seconds later Tanner Laczynski fired home his first goal of the season to tie the game.
Tanner Laczynski scored for the Buckeyes in the first period, assisted by Hein and Gabriele.
— Ohio State Men's Hockey (@OhioStateMHKY) October 20, 2018
The goal extended his point streak to nine games. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/Su06VMzMb0
Sophomore defenseman Grant Gabriele assisted on the goal. The helper was his first collegiate point. It came in his first game as a Buckeye.
| Buckeye Goal Scorers (Assists) | Pd | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Tanner Laczynski (Ronnie Hein, Grant Gabriele) | 1 | 6:13 |
| Tanner Laczynski (Wyatt Ege) | 3 | 18:38 |
| EN - Mason Jobst (unassisted) | 3 | 19:12 |
The goaltenders took center stage in the second period. The Buckeyes and Minutemen launched an insane 35 combined shots in the frame. Lindberg turned aside all 17 of Ohio State's attempts. Nappier dusted 18 UMass shots.
The goalies continued to shut shooters down through the third period. It looked as though the action would outlast regulation. Then, with 1:22 left on the clock, Wyatt Ege set up Laczynski for a game winning tally. Mason Jobst iced the victory with an empty netter.
GAMEWINNER!
— Ohio State Men's Hockey (@OhioStateMHKY) October 20, 2018
Laczynski with the GWG with just 1:22 left in the game.
Buckeyes beat UMass, 3-1.#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/5eKN4dBRGq
With the win Ohio State moves to 3-1-0 on the season. I suspect this series split might not look so bad later in the season. I think we're going to find out UMass is just a little better than originally expected.
The Buckeyes now turn their attention to next week's in-state battle with Bowling Green. Friday's game takes place in Columbus and is set for a 7pm ET start. The action moves to Bowling Green on Saturday and another 7pm ET puck drop.
