The No. 4/5 men’s hockey Buckeyes defeated No. 13/12 Penn State in their series finale on Saturday afternoon. With the win Ohio State completed a series sweep of the Nittany Lions. It is the first suffered by PSU this season.
| Scoring by Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 4/5 Ohio State | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 |
| No. 13/12 Penn State | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
Perhaps that’s why tempers ran high in this one. The officials assessed 16 penalties in the game including a boarding major and half a dozen minors for either roughing or hitting after the whistle. (Well, that and there was no love lost between Penn State and the officiating crew this week. Ditto Ohio State and Penn State/PSU's student section.)
| Buckeye Goal Scorers (Assists) | Pd | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Grant Gabriele (Ronnie Hein) | 1 | 6:39 |
| PP - Dakota Joshua (Tanner Laczynski, Matt Miller) | 2 | 3:53 |
| PP - Matt Miller (mason JObst, Tanner Laczynski) | 2 | 7:33 |
| PP - Dakota Joshua (Gustaf Westlund, Carson Meyer) | 2 | 14:56 |
| PP - Gustaf Westlund (Mason Jobst, Wyatt Ege) | 2 | 16:19 |
| Mason Jobst (Gustaf Westlund, Matt Miller) | 3 | 6:09 |
The Buckeyes got the better of the special teams battle, both in the number of penalties taken and in their conversion rate. OSU went 4-for-10 on their power plays while holding PSU scoreless in its three advantages. The only fly in the ointment for the Bucks was a pair of shorthanded goals against.
Grant Gabriele slapped home his first collegiate goal to give Ohio State an early lead. Evan Barratt answered for Penn State late in the frame with the Nittany Lions’ first shorty. PSU surged ahead at the 1:43 mark of the second period on a Liam Folkes goal.
The Buckeyes strike first!
— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) January 19, 2019
Grant Gabriele's first goal of the season gives No. 4 @OhioStateMHKY a 1-0 lead on the road!#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/QN3xWDERHd
But that was the last Penn State would see of the lead. OSU posted four man-advantage goals in the second period, taking over the scoreboard for good. Dakota Joshua tallied the first strike, setting up shop in his power play office and refusing to be moved until the puck was in the back of the net.
Lead... ERASED!@OhioStateMHKY responds quickly on the power play as this Dakota Joshua goal brings the No. 4 Buckeyes even with No. 13 Penn State! #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/B5IEiveWYJ
— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) January 19, 2019
Then Matt Miller went bar down with a 5-on-3 twine-tickler. The goal was a real beauty. It was also the second of the season for the Buckeye defenseman.
WHAT A SHOT!@OhioStateMHKY's Matt Miller goes bar and in to give the No. 4 Buckeyes the lead on the power play!#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/4biPr8ONCT
— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) January 19, 2019
At the 11:25 mark PSU’s Blake Gober was given the gate for boarding. His victim, Tanner Laczynski, departed the game as well. The ensuing major power play didn’t begin well for the Bucks as Penn State's second shorty briefly leveled the score.
Blake Gober gets tossed for boarding. Correct call. pic.twitter.com/ec3i0BjVt3
— Patrick Burns (@PatrickBurns_) January 19, 2019
But the Scarlet and Gray rallied and reeled off two PPGs before the advantage expired. Joshua netted his second marker of the game. This would turn out to be the game-winner.
Next Gustaf Westlund took a tour of the zone. He stopped at the far faceoff dot and fired off his third goal of the series. Since the midseason break the young Swede has exploded with five goals and four assists in five and one-third games.
Make that FOUR power play goals for @OhioStateMHKY!
— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) January 19, 2019
The No. 4 Buckeyes double their lead over No. 13 Penn State after Gustaf Westlund finds the back of the net for the third time in two days!#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/stK6FGxzU5
A third period score by Mason Jobst capped the Buckeye barrage at six goals. The tally was Jobst’s team-leading fourteenth of the season. The captain was one of five Buckeyes to recorded multiple points in this game. He joined Westlund and Miller with three points apiece. Joshua and Laczynski each posted two.
With the weekend sweep Ohio State improves to 15-5-4 overall and 8-3-3-2 in the Big Ten. Next week is a bye for the conference-leading Bucks. They return to action on Feb. 1-2 in a home series against current No. 13/12 Notre Dame.
