Ohio State
14-18-4
Minnesota (Big Ten Tournament Semifinals)
20-16-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Minnesota | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
Buckeyes Fall to No. 20 Minnesota in B1G Tourney Semifinals, 4-2 – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/19/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
March 19, 2016
Box Score | Photo Gallery | Postgame Quotes | B1G Notes | Miller Interview
SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The Ohio State men’s hockey team saw its eight-game unbeaten streak end with a 4-2 loss to No. 20 ranked Minnesota in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament Friday in Xcel Energy Center. The loss closes the Buckeyes’ season, as the squad finishes 14-18-4 on the year (8-8-4-1/4th B1G). The No. 1 seed Gophers will take on No. 2 Michigan in the tournament championship game at 8 p.m. ET Saturday.
Ohio State led 1-0 through the first two periods. In the first, the Buckeyes were unsuccessful on an early power play and then held the Gophers scoreless on a full five-minute major. Just 30 seconds after the major ended, sophomore Kevin Miller put in the rebound of a shot by classmate Janik Moser for a 1-0 Buckeye lead.
Kevin Miller scores the first goal of the game for @OhioState_MHKY against Minnesota in the first period. https://t.co/z2cT0mgwTt
— Hockey on BTN (@HockeyOnBTN) March 19, 2016
The Buckeyes were outshot 14-11 in the first period and 13-8 in the second, with junior goalie Christian Frey making 27 saves through 40 minutes.
The Gophers tied the game just 1:36 into the third period and took the lead at 5:20 on a goal from right in front by Vinni Lettieri. Taylor Cammarata and Tyler Sheehy combined for two goals at 11:11 and 16:38 to extend the Gophers’ advantage to 4-1. The Buckeyes pulled Frey for the extra attacker and converted once with junior David Gust scoring on a backhand from in close, assisted by senior Anthony Greco and sophomore Matthew Weis. A Gopher penalty at 18:44 gave Ohio State a 6-on-4 advantage and a second penalty on Minnesota put the Buckeyes on a 6-on-3 advantage for the final 16 seconds, but the team could get no closer. Shots were 18-10 in favor of Minnesota in the period.
David Gust scores a goal with a backhand shot for @OhioState_MHKY against Minnesota in the third period. https://t.co/RA5F5z6v1a
— Hockey on BTN (@HockeyOnBTN) March 19, 2016
Minnesota outshot the Buckeyes, 45-29, in the game. Frey played 57:24 for the Buckeyes and had 41 saves. Minnesota’s Eric Schierhorn had 27 stops in all 60 minutes. Ohio State blocked 14 Gopher shots, led by junior defenseman Josh Healey with four and Moser with three.
Neither team was able to score on the power play. Minnesota had just the one early chance, with the Buckeyes 0-for-3.
The game was the Buckeyes’ 28th this season (of 36) decided by two or fewer goals.
Junior Nick Schilkey ends the season as the Buckeyes’ leader in goals (19) and points (41), just the third 40+ point season for a Buckeye since 2006. Gust had a team-best 25 assists and was second with 36 points, while Weis was third with 21 assists and 32 points. Freshman Mason Jobst had a 12-18-30 line, tying Greco for second with 12 goals. Junior defenseman Drew Brevig is second in the Big Ten and third in the NCAA with 2.81 blocked shots per game. As a team, the Buckeyes are in the Top 10 nationally in scoring offense after averaging 3.56 goals per game.
The loss to the Gophers ended the career of Buckeye seniors Craig Dalrymple, Greco and Tyler Lundey.
