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Ohio State blows out Indiana, 38-15. Now, it's time to do the same to That Team Up North.
No. 5 Ohio State and No. 6 Penn State clashed in a battle of Big Ten hockey heavyweights on Friday. The game lived up to its billing as the teams combined for 87 shots on goal. However, the Buckeyes fell into the trap Steve Rohlik feared. Ultimately it cost them the win.
| Scoring by Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 6 Penn State | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| No. 5 Ohio State | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
The game began in promising fashion for Ohio State. The Buckeyes actually outshot the Nittany Lions in the first period, 13-10. Late in the frame, Mason Jobst converted the team’s first power play opportunity into a 1-0 lead.
BUCKEYE GOAL @M_Jobst with his team best 8th of the season! .#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/GoOnNBr4DG
— Ohio State Men's Hockey (@OhioStateMHKY) November 23, 2018
Unfortunately, things went downhill in a hurry in the second period. The Buckeyes allowed the ice to open up and Penn State’s lethal offense seized control of the game. The Nittany Lions put 19 shots on Sean Romeo. They scored three times.
At the 4:27 mark the NCAA’s leading scorer, Evan Barratt, tied the game. He also ended Sean Romeo’s personal shutout streak at 204:27. (I think. Math is not my strong suit.) Then a power play goal by Brandon Biro gave PSU a 2-1 lead.
At this point the Buckeyes found themselves trailing by a goal and facing a penalty kill. It’s not the ideal environment for engineering a game-tying goal. Yet that is precisely what Jobst did. The OSU captain commandeered the puck and dished it to Austin Pooley. The Dublin, Ohio native finished off the shorthanded tally for his first goal of the season.
WHAT. A. PLAY. @M_Jobst sets up @Pooleybro2 for his first of the season on a shorthanded goal!#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/DHDlGN2gI5
— Ohio State Men's Hockey (@OhioStateMHKY) November 23, 2018
Jobst capped this scoring play by drawing Penn State into a penalty. Unfortunately, Ohio State couldn’t capitalize on either the open ice of the 4-on-4 or the brief power play that followed. Less than a minute after Pooley tied the game, PSU regained its advantage.
A Buckeye breakdown gave Cole Hults an open look at the net. Though Romeo’s stellar goaltending has covered for his backsliding defenders many a time, this was not one of those times. Hults’ goal gave the Nittany Lions a 3-2 lead going into the last period.
But the Buckeyes would not go quietly. They rallied again. OSU outshot PSU 22-14 in a wild shooting gallery of a third period. John Wiitala tied the game in the early going.
All tied up @John_Wiitala27 lights the lamp for the second time this season and knots this one up at 3#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/vKTucnBm8z
— Ohio State Men's Hockey (@OhioStateMHKY) November 23, 2018
However, Penn State goalie Peyton Jones was up to the challenge. He thwarted the hard-charging Buckeyes at every turn. At the 8:36 mark his teammates rewarded his efforts with a go-ahead goal. Denis Smirnov rang up a power play goal which would turn out to be the game winner.
Ohio State and Penn State go at it again tomorrow night. Opening faceoff is slated for 8pm ET. If you can’t make it out to the Schott, you can stream the game live with a BTN Plus subscription.
- Ohio State edged Penn State, 44-43, in shots on goal.
- Mason Jobst and Carson Meyer led the Buckeyes with six shots each.
- This is only the second time this season an opponent has held Penn State to four or fewer goals.
