Ohio State
Wilfrid Laurier (exhibition)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilfrid Laurier | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Ohio State | 2 | 4 | 3 | 9 |
Buckeyes Post 9-2 Exhibition Game Win – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/2/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Oct. 2, 2016
COLUMBUS, Ohio – With points from 14 players, the Ohio State men’s hockey team skated to a 9-2 win over Wilfrid Laurier in an exhibition game to open the Buckeyes’ 2016-17 campaign Sunday in Value City Arena.
Quick Recap
The Buckeyes led 2-0 after the first period on two goals from sophomore Dakota Joshua at 14:42 and 19:17 on the power play.
In the second period, Ohio State outscored the Golden Hawks 4-1. Sophomore John Wiitala tallied just 1:44 into the stanza and Joshua completed his hat trick when a pass from freshman Tanner Laczynski bounced off his leg and in at 5:01. Just 15 seconds later Wilfrid Laurier broke up the shutout. At 12:09 Wiitala scored a goal of his own, followed by a tally from sophomore defenseman Tommy Parran less than a minute later.
The teams traded goals in the first seven minutes of the third period and two late Buckeye goals capped off the victory for Ohio State. Just one minute into the period senior Nick Schilkey scored from in front off a pass from junior Luke Stork and WLU scored on the power play at 6:10. Wiitala stole the puck at the side of the net and found Jobst all alone in front for a goal at 13:55 and at 16:31 junior defenseman Janik Moser scored from the slot off a Jobst pass.
Quoting Coach Rohlik
“Any time you go out there and compete against someone you want to win,” Steve Rohlik, Ohio State head coach, said. “We went out there and we accomplished that. We had four new guys in the lineup and got their feet wet. We did some good things tonight and it was good to compete against somebody else and set the tone for this week.”
Posting Points
In all, 14 Buckeyes had a point, with six scoring a goal and 11 posting at least one assist. Four Buckeyes had multiple point games. Sophomore Dakota Joshua had a hat trick, scoring three of the game’s first four goals, while sophomore John Wiitala had four points with two goals and two assists. Freshman Tanner Laczynski had three assists in his first game action with the Scarlet and Gray and sophomore Mason Jobst also had a three-point day with a goal and two assists.
Special Teams
The Buckeyes were 2-for-5 on the power play in the game, going 1-for-2 in both the first and second period and generating 11 shots on goal with the man advantage. The lone chance in the third was for just four seconds.
On the penalty kill, the Buckeyes were 4-for-5, allowing a goal in the third period.
Shots and Saves
Senior goalies Christian Frey and Matt Tomkins split time in the Buckeye net. Frey started and played 31:23, stopping 12-of-13 shots he faced. Tomkins closed out the game, playing 28:32 and allowing one goal on 12 shots.
Frey also had an assist on the Buckeyes’ first goal of the game.
Ohio State outshot Wilfrid Laurier, 53-25, including 24-5 in the second period. Two Golden Hawks goalies shared the net, with starter Colin Furlong making 26 saves and allowing four goals in 31:23 and Chris Festarini making 18 stops, giving up five goals, in 28:37.
New Faces
Five Buckeyes saw their first game action for the Scarlet and Gray in the exhibition tilt. Freshmen Gordi Myer, Tanner Laczynski, Ronnie Hein and Matt Miller all skated in the game, along with redshirt junior Matt Joyaux. Laczynski, who was a team-best +5 in the win, had three assists, with Miller posting an assist.
Regular Season Starts Friday
The regular season opens for the Buckeyes with four consecutive games (and six of the first seven) away from Columbus. The squad will travel to Denver for the 2016 Ice Breaker Tournament, taking on the host and No. 3-ranked Pioneers in the opener Friday. The next day Ohio State will face either No. 5 Boston College or Air Force, with the first round winners and losers meeting.
A game at Miami follows Oct. 15 before a home-and-home series with No. 14 Bowling Green Oct. 21-22, with the series finale in Columbus.
