Ohio State
14-8-5, 10-7-5-1CCHA
Lake Superior State
14-11-5,9-9-4-4CCHA
McCormick’s Hat Trick Leads Buckeyes in 4-4 Tie at Lake Superior State – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/28/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Jan. 28, 2012
COLUMBUS, Ohio – With a hat trick from freshman Max McCormick, along with three assists from rookie Tanner Fritz, the No. 6/7 Ohio State men’s hockey team skated to a 4-4 overtime tie at Lake Superior State Saturday night in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. The Lakers (14-11-5, 9-9-4-4) won the shootout, 2-1 in three rounds, to pick up the extra point in the CCHA standings. McCormick scored the Buckeyes’ (14-8-5, 10-7-5-1) shootout goal to complete his night.
Ohio State will return home to host Michigan State next weekend. The teams will meet at 7:05 p.m. Friday and Saturday in Value City Arena. The game Saturday is the second-annual Teddy Bear Toss. Ohio State fans are encouraged to bring stuffed animals and then toss them on the ice after the Buckeyes score their first goal. The animals will be collected and donated to Ronald McDonald House in Columbus. At the inaugural event last year, more than 500 animals were collected and donated.
Saturday night in the Soo, the Buckeyes were ahead 2-1 after the first 20 minutes on two goals by McCormick. He opened the scoring at 8:38 before the Lakers tied the game at 16:33 of the opening stanza. With time winding down, McCormick was able to get the puck across the line, with the goal credited at 19:59. The Lakers scored twice in the first 6:31 of the second period to tie the game and take the lead. The goals came 23 seconds apart and were both on the power play, as Domenic Monardo tallied at 6:08 and Kellan Lain followed at 6:31. Less than four minutes later McCormick completed his hat trick with a power play goal at 10:18. Freshman defenseman Al McLean followed with a goal at 11:54 for a 4-3 Buckeye lead through two periods. The only goal of the third came from the Lakers’ Zach Trotman at 9:45 and was scored on the power play. Overtime saw the Buckeyes with an extended 5-on-3 advantage, but the team was unable to convert. The Lakers had a power play of their own late, but Ohio State held LSSU off the scoreboard. The game went to a shootout following the 65 minutes of play.
The Buckeyes led 2-1 after the first period on McCormick’s two tallies. At 8:38 McCormick he scored a power play goal, assisted by Fritz and freshman defenseman Ben Gallacher. The Lakers tied the game at 16:33 on Nick McParland’s tally but McCormick’s shot as time expired, assisted by Fritz and sophomore defenseman Curtis Gedig, gave Ohio State the lead after the first 20 minutes. Ohio State outshot Lake Superior State, 17-11, in the period. The Buckeyes were 1-for-2 on the power play in the period and the Lakers had one chance.
The teams combined for four goals in the second period, giving Ohio State a 4-3 lead through 40 minutes. The Lakers scored two power play goals in 23 seconds to tie the game and take the lead. At 6:08 Monardo tallied and Ohio State took a penalty 10 seconds later to give the Lakers another chance. LSSU was quick to convert, as Lain tallied at 6:31. A few minutes later Ohio State scored two quick goals to tie the game for the third time and then take its third lead of the night. At 10:18 McCormick completed his hat trick with his second power play goal of the night, with assists from Fritz and junior defenseman Devon Krogh. McLean put Ohio State ahead 4-3 at 11:54 when his shot from the blue line went in. Freshman forward Nick Oddo and sophomore forward Alex Lippincott picked up the assists on the goal. Ohio State was outshot in the period, 15-9. Ohio State had one power play chance, with the Lakers 2-for-5 with the man advantage in the stanza.
Lake Superior State scored the only goal of the third period when Zach Trotman scored from the blue line at 9:45 with the Lakers on the power play. LSSU goalie Kevin Kapalka stopped all 15 Buckeye shots in the stanza, as Ohio State outshot the Lakers, 15-8. The Lakers were successful on the only power play chance of the period.
In overtime, two quick Laker penalties gave Ohio State a 5-on-3 advantage for 1:50 but the Buckeyes were unable to convert. The Buckeyes took a late penalty but stopped the Lakers on their advantage to close out the extra session. Ohio State had four shots in overtime, with Buckeye goalie Cal Heeter stopping three Laker attempts.
The game continued to a shootout for the extra point. After both teams were scoreless in the first round, McCormick tallied to open round two, but LSSU’s Monardo responded with a goal. Kapalka made a save on Fritz in round three and then Dan Radke clinched the point for the Lakers with a tally.
For the game, Ohio State outshot Lake Superior State, 45-37. Heeter played 64:59 and had 33 saves for the Buckeyes. Kapalka had 41 stops in all 65 minutes.
The Buckeyes converted 2-of-5 power play chances and the Lakers were 3-for-8 with the man advantage.
Postgame Notes
• McCormick is the first Buckeye freshman with a hat trick since Tom Fritsche scored three goals vs. Western Michigan Jan. 29, 2005.
• McCormick’s hat trick is the second for the Buckeyes this season and first since Danny Dries Nov. 4 at Alabama-Huntsville.
• McCormick’s three-point game was the second of his career and his third multiple-point outing. He had a 1-2-3 night Oct. 15 at Notre Dame and a goal and an assist Jan. 7 at Bowling Green.
• McCormick now has 14 points, with seven goals and seven assists, this season to tie for fourth on the team.
• With three assists, Fritz had the first multiple-assist game of his career and his second career multiple-point night after recording a 1-1-2 line vs. Ferris State Jan. 21. He has a 2-4-6 line in his last four games combined.
• Fritz’s three assists were a Buckeye season high after 11 two-assist outings. It was the most assists for a Buckeye since John Albert’s four-assist night Feb. 5, 2011 vs. Michigan State. Ohio State had two three-helper games last season (Dries Nov. 5, 2010 vs. Alabama-Huntsville, Cory Schneider Jan. 21, 2011 vs. Notre Dame).
• Ohio State is 1-4 in shootouts this season.
• The Buckeyes are on an eight-game winless streak (0-4-4).
• McLean’s goal was the second of his career. He is first on the team with a +9 mark and leads the rookie defensemen with nine points.
• Ohio State topped the 40-shot mark for the fourth time this season and was one shy of the season-high 46 shots the team had vs. Michigan Jan. 13.
