No. 16/16t Buckeyes Open Year with 5-2 Win over Wildcats

Friday, October 10

Columbus, Ohio

6:30 p.m.

Ohio State

1-0-0

Northern Michigan

0-3-0

Northern Michigan

Ohio State

No. 16/16t Buckeyes Open Year with 5-2 Win over Wildcats

10/10/2025 9:59:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey

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Caron leads Buckeyes with four points

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 16/16 Ohio State men's hockey team kicked off the 2025-26 campaign with a 5-2 win over Northern Michigan (0-3) Friday in Value City Arena. The Buckeyes led 3-0 after the first period. The Wildcats drew within one midway through the second but a Davis Burnside goal less than four minutes later gave the home team a two-goal cushion and a tally less than a minute into the third that helped the Buckeyes pull away. Sophomore Felix Caron, in his first game as a Buckeye, had a team-best two goals and four points.

Up Next
The Buckeyes and Wildcats will close the weekend series at 5 p.m. Saturday in Columbus. There will be a postgame skate with the Buckeyes. Fans must bring their own skates and will need to fill out a safety waiver before taking the ice. Season tickets, Power Play mini plans, group tickets and single game tickets are all available now. Ticket Information Parking is free for all home games in Value City Arena.

The Short Story
Max Montes put the Buckeyes up 1-0 5:33 into the game before two Felix Caron goals just 1:25 apart, with the first on a 5-on-3 power play and the second just as a power play expired, extended the lead to 3-0. The Wildcats tallied at 9:12 and 11:23 of the second to make it a one-goal game but Davis Burnside answered and Ohio State led 4-2 at 15:05. Caron forced a turnover early in the third and set up Riley Thompson for a goal 29 seconds into the period for a 5-2 Buckeye advantage.

Caron ended the game with a career-high four points, including his first collegiate two-goal game and fourth career two-assist night. Broten Sabo had two helpers and Burnside picked up an assist for a two-point game. The Buckeyes outshot NMU, 42-15, including 16-5 in the first period and 16-8 in the second.

Coach Rohlik and sophomore Felix Caron - who had two goals and two assists in his first game as a Buckeye - spoke after the 5-2 win over NMU.#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/YSK4wTBRip
— Ohio State Men's Hockey (@OhioStateMHKY) October 11, 2025

How it Happened

The Buckeyes kill off an early Northern Michigan power play chance. At 5:33, Max Montes redirected a Chris Able shot, with Adam Eisele also assisting, to open the scoring.
Two quick goals from Felix Caron pushed the Buckeye lead to 3-0. His first came on a 5-on-3 power play chance at 12:44, off a pass from Jake Karabela, with Broten Sabo notching the second assist. At 14:09, Caron had his second of the night, tallying just as a power play ended. Davis Burnside and Sabo picked up the assists.
Shots were 16-5 in favor of the Buckeyes in the first.
Goals at 9:12 and 11:23 of the second cut the Ohio State lead to 3-2.
At 15:05, Burnside scored from the high slot off a Caron pass, set up from Ethan Straky.
Ohio State again had 16 shots in the period, with NMU putting eight on net.
A Riley Thompson goal 31 seconds into the third, after Caron forced a turnover, extended Ohio State's lead to 5-2.
The Buckeyes limited the Wildcats to two shots on goal in the third, while putting 10 on the cage.
For the game, the Buckeyes had the shot advantage, 42-15. Goalie Kristoffer Eberly played all 60 minutes and had 13 saves for Ohio State. Two NMU goalies combined for 37 saves.
Each team had three penalties in the contest. Ohio State was 1-for-3 on the power play and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.

Buckeye This and That

Felix Caron had three two-assist games and four two-point nights as a freshman at RPI last season. It was his first collegiate two-goal game. The Buckeyes' last four-point game was Nov. 2, 2024 when Riley Thompson had three assists and four points vs. Lake Superior State.
Broten Sabo had three two-assist games during his two years at Alaska Fairbanks.
Davis Burnside now has 17 career multiple-point outings and has a 38-44-82 line as a Buckeye.
Straky and Eisele, who played three years at Colorado College and Minnesota State, respectively, each picked up their first point as a Buckeye.
Karabela notched an assist in his first collegiate game.
Freshman Landen Gunderson and Sam McGinley, after two years at the University of New Brunswick, also made their NCAA debuts.
The last time the Buckeyes allowed 15 or fewer shots on goal was against Notre Dame Dec. 14, 2024.
Ohio State is 33-25-5 all-time in season openers.
The Buckeyes and Wildcats were former conference foes in the CCHA. The series marks the first games between the teams since Jan. 18-19, 213.