Ohio State
17-10-6, 8-8-1-1
Michigan State
7-21-3, 3-12-2-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Ohio State | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
No. 13 Buckeyes Suffer 5-4 Loss to Michigan State
3/4/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
March 4, 2017
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 13-ranked Ohio State men’s hockey team lost to Michigan State, 5-4, Friday in Value City Arena in the first of two games between the teams this weekend. The Buckeyes rallied to within a goal, but were unable to overcome a 4-0 first period deficit in the loss.
The Buckeyes (17-10-6, 8-8-1-1 B1G) and Spartans (7-21-3, 3-12-2-0 B1G) will close the regular season series at 8 p.m. Saturday in Value City Arena. It marks the Buckeyes’ final home game of the season and the seven members of the senior class will be recognized pregame.
Michigan State 5, Ohio State 4
The Spartans led 4-0 after the first period, with three even strength goals in the first 15:00 and a power play tally with 2:31 left in the stanza. Ohio State senior Nick Schilkey scored his 25th goal of the year early in the second, but the Spartans responded for a 5-1 lead at 7:25. The Buckeyes scored the next three goals, however, they were unable to get the equalizer. Kevin Miller and Mason Jobst scored 3:17 apart in the second period for a 5-3 MSU lead after 40 minutes and David Gust notched the only tally of the third on the power play at 15:43.
The game was the ninth in the last 10 games for Ohio State decided by one goal.
Schilkey, K. Miller, Jobst and Gust all scored for the Buckeyes tonight. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/NlKjjmfiBx
— Ohio State M Hockey (@OhioState_MHKY) March 4, 2017
In the First …
It was all Michigan State in the first period, with the Spartans outscoring the Buckeyes 4-0 and outshooting Ohio State 15-9.
The Spartan goals came at 6:44, 10:45, 14:57 and 17:29 (on the power play). Michigan State had the only power play of the period and converted.
In the Second …
The Buckeyes got on the board 2:15 into the second period when Nick Schilkey, the Big Ten’s leading goal scorer, one-timed a pass from Josh Healey for his 25th goal of the season. Mason Jobst also assisted on the goal, which came on the Buckeyes’ first power play chance.
At 7:25 Michigan State’s Logan Lambdin scored from in close on his own rebound to push the lead to four again. Ohio State did not allow a goal the rest of the way, outscoring the Spartans, 3-0, but could not find the equalizer.
At 10:02 the Buckeyes forced a turnover after a faceoff win in the Spartan zone and Kevin Miller finished off a tic-tac-toe passing play with David Gust and Dakota Joshua. Just over three minutes later, while killing a penalty, Mason Jobst caused a turnover of his own near the Spartan blue line and he skated in alone on the MSU netminder, scoring on a backhand at 13:19 for his 15th goal of the year and his second shorthanded tally.
Each team had 11 shots in the period. The Spartans had one power play chance and Ohio State was 1-for-2.
In the Third …
The lone goal of the third period was scored at 15:43, when David Gust one-timed a pass far side from Dakota Joshua, with Mason Jobst also assisting on the tally, Gust’s 14th goal of the season. The goal came on the power play, which was the only chance with the man advantage in the period.
Ohio State pulled its goalie for the extra attacker with more than two minutes remaining, and had a few chances in close, but could not get the puck over the line.
Blocking the Puck
Ohio State was outshot, 33-30, in the game. Senior Christian Frey made 11 saves on 15 shots in the first period. Senior Matt Tomkins came in to start the second and had 17 saves on 18 shots in 38:20.
The Buckeyes blocked 13 Spartan shot attempts, led by freshman Matt Miller with four.
Special Teams
The Buckeyes were 2-for-3 on the power play in the game. The squad leads the NCAA with the man advantage, converting 30.6 percent of its chances (41-for-134).
Ohio State’s penalty kill was 1-for-2.
On the Scoresheet
• Sophomore Mason Jobst led the Buckeyes with three points, with a goal and two assists. He has a team-best 45 points on the year, ranking second among Big Ten players in points and ranking 10th nationally in points per game (1.36). He is the first Buckeye with 30 assists since 2005 and his 45 points are tied for second most for an Ohio State skater since 2003.
• Senior Nick Schilkey leads the NCAA with .86 goals per game and is tied for third with 25 total goals. It is the most goals for a Buckeye since RJ Umberger had 26 in 2003 and just the third season with 25 or more goals for an Ohio State skater since 1997. Schilkey is tied for the NCAA lead with 15 power play goals this year, tying for third in Ohio State history for a single season.
• David Gust had his 10th multiple point game of the season with a goal and an assist. He is third on the team with 34 points this year, ranking third with 14 goals.
• Dakota Joshua had two assists and now has 20 assists and 29 points on the year. He has six games with two or more assists this season.
Postgame comments from Coach Rohlik and Mason Jobst after tonight’s loss to Michigan State. https://t.co/z388LzyYvA
— Ohio State M Hockey (@OhioState_MHKY) March 4, 2017
Postgame Quotes
Steve Rohlik, Ohio State head coach
On the loss vs. Michigan State
“It’s tough to explain. No excuses. You have to look in the mirror and obviously it starts with me. You have to take things personally. To come out at home and a game that you have to have and to give up four [goals] like that is inexcusable.”
On changing the lines after the first period
“Whoever you’re out there with, to me it was about the effort. We were just getting out-competed. At that point, it was time to try to find something that would work again. We scored some goals there, we generated a little bit of offense. At the end of the day, we’ve got to play desperate hockey from the start instead of getting down four goals and then playing desperate.”
Mason Jobst, Ohio State sophomore forward
On Michigan State’s first period
“They were just keeping things simple, their D were shooting pucks, they had traffic in front and they buried their opportunities.”
On the team’s mindset after the first period
“We came into the locker room and shook things up and tried to rally the boys. We came out and scored a couple goals, but any time you give a team a four goal lead – you just can’t do that.”
