No. 9 Buckeyes Drop NCAA Regional Opener to No. 8 BU

Thursday, March 27

Toledo, Ohio

2 p.m.

Ohio State

24-14-2

Boston University

22-13-2

Ohio St.

Boston U.

Photo by: Ohio State Athletics

No. 9 Buckeyes Drop NCAA Regional Opener to No. 8 BU

3/27/2025 6:14:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey

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TOLEDO, Ohio – The No. 9 Ohio State men's hockey team fell to No. 8 Boston University, 8-3, in the first game of the NCAA Toledo Regional Thursday afternoon in the Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio. The Buckeyes led 1-0 after the first period and the teams were tied at three after the second. The Terriers scored three times in the first half of the third period to take the lead and pull away,

The Buckeyes, who were making the 11th NCAA appearance in program history, end the season 24-14-2. BU improves to 23-13-2 and will take on the winner of the regional game between Michigan State and Cornell Saturday for a spot in the Frozen Four.

The Short Story
Buckeye Joe Dunlap opened the scoring at 9:06 of the first period. The Buckeyes carried play in the opening 20 minutes, outshooting BU, 15-2. The Terriers tied the game at 8:07 of the second but a Dunlap power play goal put Ohio State back ahead at 12:53. The teams then scored three times in the final 2:41 of the stanza. BU converted on its own power play at 17:19, with Max Montes responding for the Buckeyes 30 seconds later. Just 12 seconds after that BU tied the game again and the teams went into the intermission tied at three.

BU broke the tie at 2:18 of the third and a shorthanded goal put the Terriers up 5-3 at 5:25. Three more goals to close out the game – at 8:07, 14:16 and 19:30 (shorthanded/empty net) – led to the 8-3 final.

Dunlap had a team-high two goals and Aiden Hansen-Bukata posted two assists for the Buckeyes. Ohio State outshot BU, 36-23, in the game. Ohio State was 1-for-6 on the power play and BU was 1-for-2.

How it Happened

Joe Dunlap opened the scoring at 9:06 of the first period. Jake Dunlap passed back to Aiden Hansen-Bukata at the point. His shot was saved, but Joe Dunlap was there to put in the rebound.
Shots were 15-2 in favor of the Buckeyes in the first and Ohio State had the only two power plays. A Buckeye penalty for hooking called after the period ended put BU on the power play to start the second.
Cole Eiserman tied the game at 8:07, scoring off a faceoff.
Joe Dunlap's second of the game put the Buckeyes ahead 2-1 at 12:53. Hansen-Bukata led Jake Rozzi up the ice and he passed to Dunlap on the right wing. His shot beat the goalie far side.
The teams then combined for three goals in the final 2:41 and went into the intermission tied at three.
At 17:19 a Quinn Hutson power play goal tied the game at two.
Max Montes answered for the Buckeyes 30 seconds later, converting a 2-on-1. Thomas Weis and Chris Able assisted on the tally.
Just 12 seconds after that, Matt Copponi deadlocked the score at three.
A Dunlap shot late would have put the put the Buckeyes up 4-3, but replay confirmed the puck crossed the line just after the period ended.
Each team had two power play chances in the second, with the Buckeyes' carrying into the third. Shots were 13-11 in favor of the Terriers.
A goal from Aiden Celebrini 2:18 into the third broke the tie and a Jack Hughes shorthanded tally at 5:25 put BU ahead 5-3, the first two-goal lead for either team in the game.
Eiserman pushed the score to 6-3 at 8:07 and Jack Harvey tallied at 14:16. A final shorthanded, empty net score from Cole Hutson with 30 seconds left closed out the game.
Shots were 36-23 Ohio State in the game and the Buckeyes were ahead 10-8 in the third. Ohio State had two power play chances in the third, including a late 5-on-3 advantage.
BU was 1-for-2 on the power play and Ohio State was 1-for-8.
Buckeye goalie Logan Terness had 15 saves and Boston's Yegorov had 32 stops.

Buckeye This and That

Dunlap marked his third career two-goal game and first since Jan. 7, 2023 vs. Michigan State. He had four goals and five points combined in his three NCAA tournament games.
Hansen-Bukata had five assists in the last two games combined and ends his career with 98 helpers and 109 points. He had a team-high 29 assists on the year and finished fourth on the squad with 31 points.
The game was the final for the Buckeye Class of 2025 – Caden Brown, Joe Dunlap, Gunnarwolfe Fontaine, Patrick Guzzo, Aiden Hansen-Bukata, Reilly Herbst, Brent Johnson and Logan Terness.
Guzzo ends his career as the Buckeyes' all-time leader in games played with 171.
Fontaine and Riley Thompson each had a team-high 17 goals on the year. Fontaine was first on the team with 40 points, followed by Thompson and Davis Burnside with 33 each.
Ohio State allowed five goals in a period for the first time since Jan. 4, 2019 at Michigan State.
The two shorthanded goals by BU marked the first time since that game vs. the Spartans Ohio State allowed two SHG.
Ohio State and BU were facing off in the NCAA tournament for the second time, with BU also winning 8-3 in 2009.
The eight goals allowed were the most by a Buckeye opponent this season. Ohio State ends the year allowing 2.65 goals per game. The squad scored 3.18 a night.