Ohio State
7-3-1, 4-2-1-1CCHA
Northern Michigan
4-4-3, 1-3-3-2CCHA
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Michigan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Ohio State | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
Four Unanswered Goals Lead Buckeyes to Victory over No. 14/15 Northern Michigan, 4-1 – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/11/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Nov. 11, 2011
Video Highlights
Coach Osiecki Press Conference
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A three-goal third period lifted the Ohio State men’s hockey team to a 4-1 victory over No. 14/15 Northern Michigan Friday afternoon in Value City Arena. The Buckeyes broke a 1-all tie with sophomore Chris Crane’s power-play goal at 11:03 of the third and senior Cory Schneider added two goals in the final three minutes to secure the win.
The Buckeyes, now on a four-game winning and six-game unbeaten streak, move to 7-3-1 on the year and 4-2-1-1 in the CCHA. Game two with the Wildcats (4-4-3, 1-3-3-2 CCHA) is at 7:05 p.m. Saturday in Value City Arena.
The Wildcats had the only first-period goal for a 1-0 lead through 20 minutes. Just 1:16 into the second Buckeye sophomore Alex Szczechura tied the game at 1-all. The game remained deadlocked until Crane’s tally with the Buckeyes on a major power play in the third. Schneider then scored an even-strength goal at 17:28 and tallied with the Wildcat net empty at 18:51. Ohio State outshot the Wildcats, 38-13, in the win, including 33-7 over the final two periods (21-4 in the third). Crane had a goal and an assist for a two-point game, while freshman defenseman Al McLean had two helpers in the victory.
The first goal of the game came at 16:07 of the first when Stephan Vigier scored on a backhand from the faceoff circle, assisted by Kory Kaunisto. Shots were 6-5 in favor of Northern Michigan in the period and the Wildcats had the lone power-play chance.
Early in the second period, McLean got the puck down low to senior Danny Dries, who was able to win the battle along the boards and get the puck to Szczechura, who came around the net and scored his third goal of the year, tying the game at 1 at the 1:16 mark. Ohio State, which had two power-play chances in the period, put 12 shots on net and held NMU to three shots.
The Buckeyes took the lead at 11:03 of the third. With Ohio State on a major power play, freshman defenseman Ben Gallacher led the rush up ice and passed to classmate Ryan Dzingel. He found Crane in the slot, who redirected the puck and it rolled slowly into the goal for a 2-1 Buckeye lead. At 17:28 Schneider gave the Buckeyes a two-goal advantage, scoring off an assist from Travis Statchuk, who got a pass down low from senior defenseman Sean Duddy. Less than two minutes later, Schneider scored his second of the night, taking a long pass from Crane and scoring into an empty net. McLean had the second assist on the tally. The Buckeyes, with the help of five power-play chances in the period, outshot the Wildcats, 21-4. Fourteen of the shots came on the power play in the stanza.
Senior goalie Cal Heeter played all 60 minutes for the Buckeyes and had 12 saves. For the Wildcats, Reid Ellingson had 34 saves in 59:29, allowing three goals.
Ohio State converted 1-of-7 power-play chances in the game and stopped the one Wildcat opportunity.
Postgame Notes
• The Buckeyes have outscored their opponents, 16-1, in the last four games combined.
• The four-game winning and six-game unbeaten streaks are the longest for the Buckeyes since winning six games in a row Dec. 10-Jan. 8 last season.
• Heeter is now 6-1-1 on the year, with a 1.82 goals-against average and .933 save percentage.
• The team, outshot in six of its first seven games, has outshot its opponents in each of the last four games. Northern Michigan had an Ohio State opponent season-low 13 shots on net.
• The Buckeyes have not allowed a power play goal in the last four games, stopping all 17 opponent chances.
• Crane leads the Buckeyes with 12 points, ranking second with six goals. He has back-to-back two-point games and multiple points in four of the last six outings.
• Dries is second on the team with 10 points, including a team-best seven goals.
• Duddy was playing in his 100th career game.
• Ohio State has four penalties (a season low) in each of its last three games.
• McLean had the first multiple-point game of his career.
• Schneider’s two goals were a career high.
• The Buckeyes’ team-record shutout streak was ended at 211:58 with the Wildcats’ first-period goal.
• Heeter, who had back-to-back whitewashes, saw his shutout streak end at 151:58.
Postgame Quotes
Mark Osiecki, Ohio State head coach
On the game performance
“We didn’t play well in the first and I got into the players’ ears afterward but I was really happy with our effort in the second and third.”
On defensive effort
“That has to do with goalies making saves, working as a collective group and being smart with the puck. When you’re smart with the puck good things will happen.”
Chris Crane, Ohio State sophomore forward
On the game
“We came out in the first period and we weren’t playing Ohio State hockey. Coach Osiecki told us that and he got us ready for the second and third periods, and we came out strong afterwards.”
On the team’s slow start
“It was different with the noon start. We practice in the morning, and I think that gave us the advantage with the early start. We still had our legs at the end.”
Alex Szczechura, Ohio State sophomore forward
On having a year of experience with the team
“Coach works us hard and it pays off in the games. When you’re a sophomore you have more confidence than you do as a freshman, and hard work goes a long way.”
On his goal
“[Danny] Dries was working hard down low. I went hard to the net and tried to put it in. It wasn’t anything too special.”
Walt Kyle, Northern Michigan head coach
Thoughts on the game “We had a chance to catch them in the standings today, but they got us. We had a lot of penalties tonight but that wasn’t the key. The key to the game was we got outworked tonight.”
On getting outshot 38-13 by Ohio State
“We’ve played a lot of good teams so far this year. Some guys in our lineup think they can create cute plays, but they need to play better offensively. [Reid] Ellingson had a good game. We put ourselves in position to win a game on the road, but we came up short.”
