Ohio State
14-4-1, 10-3-1-1CCHA
Robert Morris
9-7-2, 7-2-2AHA
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Robert Morris | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
No. 4 Buckeyes Down Robert Morris, 4-2 – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/30/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Dec. 30, 2011
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 4-Ohio State men’s hockey team opened the second half of the season with a 4-2 victory over Robert Morris Friday night at CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh in the RMU Hockey Showcase. Ohio State improves to 14-4-1 this season (10-3-1-1 CCHA) and ranks second in the country in wins. Robert Morris is now 9-7-2 (7-2-2 Atlantic Hockey) as the Buckeyes ended the Colonials’ eight-game unbeaten streak.
The Buckeyes rallied from a goal down twice in the first period and the teams were deadlocked at 2 after the opening stanza. Sophomore defenseman Curtis Gedig scored Ohio State’s first goal, with freshman Nick Oddo tallying the second just 32 seconds after RMU regained the lead. Junior defsenman Devon Krogh’s 5-on-3 goal in the second period broke a 2-all tie and stood as the eventual gamewinner. The final goal was an empty-netter by sophomore Chris Crane, assisted by senior Danny Dries, with 14 seconds remaining. Buckeye senior goalie Cal Heeter had 33 saves in the game for his 12th win of the season. Oddo added an assist for his second career two-point night and Dries had two helpers. In all, nine Buckeyes had a point in the win.
The teams were tied at 2-all after the first period. At 10:50 of the stanza Robert Morris opened the scoring when Colin South scored after a scrum in front with the Colonials on the power play. Gedig scored from the high slot at 13:24 with the teams skating 4-on-4. Oddo worked along the wall to get the puck to senior Sean Duddy at the point. He passed across to Gedig who netted his second goal of the season. South added his second goal of the game 16:17 after a turnover at the Buckeye blueline gave the Colonials a chance down low. Ohio State then tied the game just 32 seconds later when Oddo, right in front of the net, put in the rebound of a shot by junior Alex Carlson. Freshman defenseman Al McLean had the second assist on the tally, Oddo’s fifth score of the year. The teams combined for 35 shots in the period, with Robert Morris outshooting the Buckeyes, 18-17. Heeter had 16 saves in the Ohio State net, with Brooks Ostergard stopping 15.
Ohio State scored the only goal of the second period for a 3-2 advantage. With the Buckeyes on a 5-on-3 power play, Krogh’s shot from the point got through, assisted by freshman Ryan Dzingel and Dries. Krogh’s goal, his second of the year, came at 9:27. Ohio State controlled play through much of the period and outshot the Colonials, 19-8.
The lone goal of the third period was scored into an empty net with 14 seconds remaining in regulation. Dries forced a turnover in the neutral zone, allowing him and Crane to skate in alone on the net. Dries made the unselfish play and passed to Crane for the empty netter. They now share the team lead with 11 goals each. Heeter stopped all nine shots he faced in the period, including a save on a breakaway with less than eight minutes remaining, with Ohio State putting seven shots on net.
Ohio State outshot the Colonials, 43-35, in the game. Heeter played 59:47 between the pipes and had 33 saves. Ostergard had 39 saves for RMU in 58:47.
Each team had one power play goal – Ohio State was 1-for-5 and Robert Morris was 1-for-7.
Postgame Notes
? Ohio State will be back in action next weekend when it travels to Bowling Green for a CCHA series. The teams will meet at 7:05 p.m. Saturday (Jan. 7) and 5:05 p.m. Sunday (Jan. 8). The squad will then return home to host Michigan Jan. 13 and take on the Wolverines outside at Progressive Field in Cleveland Jan. 15.
? Duddy extended his assist streak to six and has a helper in eight of the last nine games.
? Crane leads the Buckeyes with 19 points and has a goal in five of the last six games. He and Dries sharing the goal-scoring lead with 11 each. Dries is second with 17 points this season.
? Oddo had his second two-point night and first since Nov. 12 vs. Northern Michigan. He is on a four-game scoring streak (3-2-5) and has goals in three of his last four games.
? Heeter is now 12-2-1 on the year, with a 2.11 goals-against average and .927 save percentage. He has 38 career wins to move into a tie for ninth in OSU history.
? Ohio State has trailed in six of its last eight wins, allowing the first goal in each contest. The team is 7-3 when the other team opens the scoring and 7-1-1 when scoring first.
? Ohio State has held opponents to two goals or less in 12 of the last 14 games. The squad is in the Top 6 nationally holding opponents to 2.1 goals a game.
? The Buckeyes are 4-1-1 when tied after the first period this year.
? Ohio State was playing its fifth game on the NHL Pittsburgh Penguins’ home ice but the first in the team’s new arena, CONSOL Energy Center. The squad is 4-0-1 in the Penguins’ arena, with four of the games vs. Robert Morris.
? The game was the Buckeyes’ last non-conference matchup of the regular season.
