No. 17/16 Buckeyes Shut Out Penn State, 4-0

Thursday, December 5

Columbus, Ohio

7:30 pm

Ohio State

10-4-1, 3-2-0

Penn State

6-8-0, 0-7-0

Penn State

Ohio State

No. 17/16 Buckeyes Shut Out Penn State, 4-0

12/5/2024 10:47:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey

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Teams will meet at 7 p.m. Friday in Columbus

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Behind 22 saves from Kristoffer Eberly and two goals from Gunnarwolfe Fontaine, the No. 17/16 Ohio State men's hockey team shut out Penn State, 4-0, in the Buckeyes' Big Ten home opener Thursday in Value City Arena. After a scoreless first, the Buckeyes scored twice in the second for a 2-0 lead through 40 minutes. Fontaine tallied twice in less than four minutes late in the third – with a power play and empty net score – for the 4-0 final.

The Buckeyes are now 10-4-1 on the year, with a 3-2-0 1-0-0 Big Ten ledger. Penn State is 6-8-0 (0-7-0 0-1-0 B1G). The teams will end the two-game series at 7 p.m. Friday in Columbus. The game will be streamed through B1G+ and carried on Ohio State Radio. It will be Buckeyes Care night, where the work local business partners do for the Columbus community will be celebrated, and the Ohio State Alumni Band will perform.

The Short Story
Neither team scored in the first period, with the Buckeyes 2-for-2 on the penalty kill. Max Montes opened the scoring with a goal at 3:08 of the second and Patrick Guzzo tallied at 6:54 for a 2-0 Buckeye lead. In the third, Gunnarwolfe Fontaine scored on the power play at 14:16 and he sealed the win with an empty net goal at 17:32. James Hong had two first assists for the Buckeyes in the victory.

Kristoffer Eberly posted 22 saves for his second shutout of the season and Ohio State put 36 shots on the Nittany Lion net. Chris Able had a team-best four shot blocks for the Scarlet and Gray, who were 1-for-4 on the power play and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.

How it Happened

The Buckeyes outshot Penn State in the first period, 11-6, and stopped two power play chances, along with the start of a third that carried over into the second.
Max Montes opened the scoring at 3:08 of the middle period, backhanding in a loose puck in front, with James Hong and Chris Able assisting on the goal.
Patrick Guzzo knocked in a rebound at 6:54 to double the Buckeye lead. Hong had the first helper, with Thomas Weis picking up the second.
The Buckeyes had 12 shots on goal in the second period, with Penn State putting eight on net.
On the power play in the third, Gunnarwolfe Fontaine put in the rebound of a Davis Burnside shot at the side of the net for a 3-0 Ohio State advantage, with Aiden Hansen-Bukata also picking up an assist.
With Penn State skating with its net empty, Damien Carfagna forced a turnover in the Buckeye zone and fed Fontaine up the ice, where he was able to skate up to the net for a goal at 17:32.
Shots in the third were 13-8 in favor of the Buckeyes and the squad ended the night ahead, 36-22.
Kristoffer Eberly stopped all 22 PSU shots in 59:57 for the Buckeyes and Penn State's John Seifarth made 32 saves in 58:39.
The Buckeyes blocked 13 shot attempts, led by Chris Able with four.
Ohio State was 1-for-4 on the power play, with three attempts in the third, and ended the game 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.

Noting the Buckeyes

Eberly's shutout was his second of the season and of his career. He has a 1.36 goals-against average and .943 save percentage this season.
Fontaine had his second two-goal game of the season and the fourth of his collegiate career. He has a 6-8-14 line on the year, ranking second on the team in points.
Hong had his second collegiate two-point night and his first two-assist outing.
Burnside (6g, 7a) and Carfagna (4g, 9a) are tied for third on the team in scoring with 13 points each.
Hansen-Bukata is fifth on the team with 12 points and has a team-high 11 assists.
Montes leads the Buckeyes with seven goals, followed by Fontaine and Burnside with six each.
The contest opened a four-game homestand for the Buckeyes.

Coach Rohlik and Gunnarwolfe Fontaine spoke after tonight's 4-0 win over the Nittany Lions.#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/XJtNskKv5Y
— Ohio State Men's Hockey (@OhioStateMHKY) December 6, 2024