Buckeye Seniors Lead Men’s Hockey to 5-3 Win vs. No. 4 Miami and OHC Championship – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/30/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Dec. 30, 2006
Box Score
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State men’s hockey team defeated No. 4 Miami by a score of 5-3 Saturday in the championship game of the third-annual Ohio Hockey Classic at Nationwide Arena in downtown Columbus. Ohio State overcame an early two-goal deficit in the nonconference victory that gave the Buckeyes their first OHC title and improved the team to 7-9-4 overall (5-6-3 CCHA). The RedHawks moved to 15-6-1 overall (10-3-1 CCHA) and ended a five-game unbeaten streak.
All five of the OSU goals were scored by seniors as seven of eight seniors tallied a point. A total of 10 Buckeyes recorded a point in the win.
After falling behind 2-0 on goals by Marty Guerin and Matt Christie of the RedHawks, Kenny Bernard (Sarnia, Ontario) scored in the final minute of the first period to cut the lead to 2-1 heading into the first intermission. He fired in a one-timer from the slot at 19:09 passes from Bryce Anderson (Waterloo, Iowa) and Mathieu Beaudoin (Sherbrooke, Quebec). The goal was Bernard’s fourth while Anderson and Beaudoin picked up their fourth and fifth assists, respectively.
Tyson Strachan (Melfort, Saskatchewan) evened up the score in the opening minutes of the second period when he flipped the puck from the blue line over Miami goaltender Charlie Effinger at 1:39 for his second goal of the season. Andrew Schembri (Mississauga, Ontario) recorded the single assist on the goal, his fifth helper of the year.
Defenseman and Ohio Hockey Classic MVP Sean Collins (Troy, Mich.) gave the Buckeyes their first lead of the game at 16:37 when he picked up the puck from junior Tom Fritsche (Parma, Ohio) and skated it toward left side of the net, slipping it in five-hole for the 3-2 lead. The goal was Collins fifth of the season while Fritsche had his second assist in as many games. Junior Tommy Goebel (Parma, Ohio) picked up the second assist for his sixth helper of the year.
Ohio State upped its lead to 4-2 in the third period when defenseman Matt Waddell (Armstrong, British Columbia) scored on his own rebound from in front of the net at 12:09 of the third period. Waddell was assisted by junior Domenic Maiani (Shelby Township, Mich.), his seventh of the season, and Goebel.
Miami pulled Effinger with 1:25 remaining in regulation for an extra attacker, a move that proved successful when the RedHawks scored at 18:47. Justin Mercier cut the lead to 4-3 during a scramble in front of the net with assists from Guerin and Christie.
With the final seconds winding down in the game and the Miami net still empty, Beaudoin sealed the victory at 5-3 with an empty-netter at 19:56 on a pass from Bernard. With the goal, Beaudoin tied with Collins for the team lead with seven goals.
Overall, the Buckeyes had a 31-26 advantage in shots. Miami was 0-for-2 on the power play while Ohio State was 0-of-3. Freshman goaltender Joseph Palmer (Yorkville, N.Y.) had 23 saves to improve to 7-7-3. He stopped 42 of 45 shots faced in the tournament to earn Ohio Hockey Classic All-Tournament Team honors.
Fritsche and Goebel also were named to the All-Tournament team. Guerin of Miami was selected to the team as well as Matt Niskanen of Minnesota Duluth. In the consolation game, Minnesota Duluth topped Bowling Green, 4-3.
Up next for Ohio State, the Buckeyes welcome Alaska for a CCHA home series Jan. 5 and 7 at Value City Arena. Games begin at 7:05 p.m. Friday and 3:05 p.m. Sunday.
Postgame Quotes
John Markell, Ohio State head coach
On Ohio Hockey Classic
“It was everything we expected from the Ohio Hockey Classic. It was exciting for the fans. I want to thank all the teams for coming in because it was a good tournament.”
On Ohio State’s play
“I thought we were losing stick and physical battles at first. We were fortunate to add things that needed to be done on the ice. We were consistent in our pressure tonight. Our goal was to do what was necessary. Hopefully we will keep moving forward in the new year a spirited bunch.”
On Tom Fritsche’s return
“(Tom) Fritsche is capable to do the little things and he brings a great spirit to the bench.”
Sean Collins, senior defenseman
On Tom Fritsche’s return
“Our team feels confident on offense with Fritsche back. He impacts the game positively.”
On the game
“It means more to win against Miami because they always play a really good game. We don’t just gain momentum off goals, we take pride in our penalty kills too.”
On Joseph Palmer’s performance
“We have a lot of confidence in Palmer. We had limited scoring chances and he’s making all the saves he should. We are feeling comfortable with our system now and hopefully this is a turning point for our team.”
Tommy Goebel, junior forward
On Tom Fritsche’s return
“It makes it so much easier because he puts the puck on your stick.”
On the game
“It was a tough game with good match-ups. The tournament had a fun atmosphere with the crowd.”
Enrico Blasi, Miami head coach
On the game
“Ohio State’s late goal in the first period changed the energy of the game. They deserved to win during those last two periods. We were pressing maybe too much towards the end. When you are down a goal and playing good teams you have to stick to the plan. We turned the puck over and they made a pick. That was the difference.”
“It was a typical game between Ohio State and Miami. The environment was good and I give Ohio State credit. They played hard. Their defense is a threat every time. When you play teams like Ohio State, you have to play every shift and pay attention to detail. Our guys are trying to do that.”
On the rivalry between Ohio State and Miami
“When the two staffs got together to talk about putting this tournament together we envisioned the rivalry. You play in front of a good crowd over the holidays. Neither team has to travel too far. When we play OSU it is a good, quality game where you have to play your best. You know playing them will improve you, not just in the standings, but in your skills too.”
Hockey Game Box Score (Final) 2006-07 Ohio State Men’s Hockey #4 Miami vs Ohio State (Dec 30, 2006 at Columbus, Ohio)
Miami (15-6-1, 10-3-1 CCHA) vs. Ohio State (7-9-4, 5-6-3 CCHA) Date: Dec 30, 2006 Location: Columbus, Ohio Arena: Nationwide Arena Attendance:3742 Start time:8:05 pm End time:10:21 pm Total time:2:16
Goals by Period 1 2 3 Tot ———————————- Miami…………… 2 0 1 – 3 Ohio State………. 1 2 2 – 5
1st period – 1, MIA, Marty Guerin/7 (Jarod Palmer/14, Matt Christie/9) 10:36. 2, MIA, Matt Christie/3 (Mitch Ganzak/9) 14:41. 3, OSU, Kenny Bernard/4 (Bryce Anderson/4, Mathieu Beaudoin/5) 19:09. Penalties – John Dingle, OSU (interference) 8:30.
2nd period – 4, OSU, Tyson Strachan/2 (Andrew Schembri/5) 1:39. 5, OSU, Sean Collins/7 (Tom Fritsche/2, Tommy Goebel/6) 16:37. Penalties – Marty Guerin, MIA (tripping) 8:30; Mathieu Picard, OSU (kneeing) 11:14.
3rd period – 6, OSU, Matt Waddell/2 (Domenic Maiani/7, Tommy Goebel/6) 12:09. 7, MIA, Justin Mercier/8 (Marty Guerin/10, Matt Christie/9) 18:47. 8, OSU, Mathieu Beaudoin/7 (Kenny Bernard/9) 19:56 (empty net). Penalties – Justin Mercier, MIA (cth roughing) 2:08; Mitch Ganzak, MIA (slashing) 16:08.
Shots on goal – MIA 6-9-11 26; OSU 8-11-12 31.
Power plays – MIA 0 of 2; OSU 0 of 3.
Penalties – MIA 3 (6 min); OSU 2 (4 min).
Goalies – MIA, Charlie Effinger 6-3-0 (59:11 minutes, 30 shots-26 saves) , EMPTY NET (00:49, 0-0); OSU, Joseph Palmer 7-7-3 (60:00, 26-23).
Penalty shots – None.
A-3742 T-2:16 Three stars: 1. None 2. None 3. None Referee:Steve Piotrowski Linesman:Brian Hill; Neil Stafford Win-Joseph Palmer (7-7-3). Loss-Charlie Effinger (6-3-0). ID-455337 Ohio State wins 2006 Ohio Hockey Classic
