Buckeyes Upset No. 2 Michigan State, 2-1

Saturday, January 10

Columbus, Ohio

5 p.m.

Ohio State

7-12-1, 3-7-0

Michigan State

15-5-0, 6-4-0

Michigan State

Ohio State

Buckeyes Upset No. 2 Michigan State, 2-1

1/10/2026 8:58:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey

Box Score

Lewis, Burnside score for the Buckeyes, Hillebrandt makes 26 saves

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State men's hockey team downed No. 2 Michigan State, 2-1, Saturday in the Schottenstein Center in Columbus. After a scoreless first, the teams were tied at one after the second period. Buckeye captain Davis Burnside scored the go-ahead goal in the third and the Buckeyes went on to close out the win. Buckeye freshman goalie Sam Hillebrandt had 26 saves to pick up his first collegiate win.

The Buckeyes (7-12-1, 3-7 B1G) and Spartans (15-5, 6-4 B1G) end the weekend with a series split.

The Short Story
The teams were scoreless after the first period. Ohio State controlled play for much of the first, outshooting the Spartans, 14-3. Nathan Lewis put the Buckeyes on the board 2:53 into the second and the Spartans tied the game at 10:06. In the third, Riley Thompson found Davis Burnside alone in front and he scored at 8:01 to put the Buckeyes ahead with the eventual gamewinner. In the game, Ohio State outshot Michigan State, 35-27, and Sam Hillebrandt had 26 saves for the Buckeyes. Ohio State was 2-for-2 on the penalty kill, allowing just two shots in the third chances combined.

Up Next

Ohio State is off next weekend and will then play at Notre Dame Jan. 23-24, with puck drop at 7 p.m. for game one and 5 p.m. for game two. Peacock will stream the series.
The Buckeyes will then return home to host No. 1 Michigan Jan. 30-31. Fans are encouraged to Wear Scarlet to each game vs. the Wolverines. Friday is a 6:30 p.m. game and there will be a Brutus Trapper Hat giveaway for the first 500 Ohio State students. Game two, slated for 5 p.m., includes a red THE towel giveaway for the first 1,500 fans.

How it Happened

Neither team found the back of the net in the first period. The Buckeyes outshot the Spartans, 14-3, in the stanza and each team was 0-for-1 on the power play.
In the second, Thomas Weis led William Smith out of the Buckeye zone. He skated up the left side, passing to Nathan Lewis who was driving the net and he put the puck past the goalie at 2:53.
The Spartans tied the game at 10:06, with Porter Martone tallying two seconds after the teams had been skating 4-on-4 because of matching minors.
In the second, the teams combined for 27 shots, with Ohio State ahead, 14-13.
Ohio State broke the deadlock at 8:01 of the third. Jake Dunlap fed the puck up the wall and Riley Thompson won the battle, passing to Davis Burnside, who had dropped behind the Spartan defensemen. All alone in front, he turned and scored his eighth goal of the season.
Buckeye goalie Sam Hillebrandt stopped all 11 MSU shots in the third period and ended the game with 26 saves in 59:42. Ohio State had the shot advantage, 35-27, overall.
The Buckeyes blocked 13 shots, with Smith posting a team-high four.
Neither team scored on the power play – Ohio State was 0-for-3 and Michigan State was 0-for-2, with just two shots on net.
The Buckeyes won 40-of-63 (.635) faceoffs, led by Max Montes who was 13-2.

Buckeye This and That

Davis Burnside now has 96 points as a Buckeye, with 45 goals and 51 assists. On the year, he has 16 points, with eight goals, to tie for second on the team in scoring and tie for first in goals. Burnside is on a five-game point streak (3g, 4a, 7p).
Nathan Lewis' goal was his second of the year, while William Smith picked up his second assist and Thomas Weis marked his third helper.
Riley Thompson has 11 points this year, on six goals and five assists.
Jake Dunlap has a career-high nine points (4g, 5a).
The Buckeyes are 2-7 in one-goal games this season.
The win was the Buckeyes' first over a No. 2-ranked team since beating the Spartans Jan. 30, 2025, 4-2.