No. 9 Buckeyes on to B1G Semifinals after Game Three Win

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 9 Ohio State men’s hockey team advanced to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals with a 3-1 game-three win over No. 10 Penn State Sunday in Value City Arena. Penn State opened the scoring in the second period but Ohio State tallied the next three for the win. Defensemen Cole McWard (on the power play) and Scooter Brickey scored in the second and forward Tate Singleton sealed the win with an empty net tally in the third. Buckeye goalie Jakub Dobes stopped 30-of-31 Penn State shots and the Buckeyes were 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.

The No. 3 seed Buckeyes are now 20-14-3 on the year, and the No. 6 seed Nittany Lions are 21-15-1. This was the second year in a row the teams met in Columbus in the quarterfinal round, with Penn State taking the series last year in three games.

Semifinals Up Next

Ohio State will take on No. 2 seed and No. 4-ranked Michigan at 6:30 p.m. Saturday in Ann Arbor in the single elimination semifinal round, with the game on BTN and Ohio State Radio. The Buckeyes were 2-1-1 vs. the Wolverines this season, with a series split in Ann Arbor. It will be the third Big Ten Tournament meeting between the teams. Ohio State won in the semifinals in Columbus in 2018, 3-2 in overtime, and Michigan posted a 4-0 win in a single-elimination quarterfinal round matchup in 2021 in South Bend, Ind. Ohio State is 2-4 in the B1G Tournament semifinals all-time.

The Short Story

• The teams were scoreless through the first 20 minutes, with Penn State carrying much of the play and outshooting Ohio State, 12-5.
• Each team had an abbreviated power play chance in the first period.
• The Buckeyes had a goal overturned after a Penn State challenge for goalie interference at 10:07.
• Penn State took the lead at 6:28 of the second as Kevin Wall got behind the Buckeye defense and had a shot sneak through.
• Ohio State had a second goal overturned at 11:03, with Penn State challenging the puck was kicked in. A tripping penalty was called before the (overturned) goal and Ohio State converted the chance to tie the game at one.
• Cole McWard had the game-tying tally, scoring on a wrist shot from outside the faceoff circle at 12:08, assisted by Stephen Halliday and Jake Wise.
• The Buckeyes went ahead for the first time almost four minutes later on a Scooter Brickey goal. A Penn State chance in the Ohio State zone turned into a 3-on-1 break for the Buckeyes, with defensemen Dominic Vidoli and Brickey leading the charge. Vidoli passed to Brickey on the wing and he scored shortside at 15:45.
• Ohio State had the shot advantage 13-8, in the second. Penn State was 0-for-1 on the power play, with Ohio State 1-for-2.
• The Nittany Lions started the third with nearly two minutes of power play time but Ohio State did not allow a shot on the opportunity.
• Penn State pulled its goalie with more than two minutes remaining and Tate Singleton tallied an insurance goal, taking a pass from Mason Lohrei and converting from the neutral zone.
• Ohio State was outshot, 11-7, in the third, and did not have a power play chance.
• For the game the Buckeyes were outshot, 31-25. Jakub Dobes played 59:55 and had 30 saves for his 20th win of the year. Ohio State blocked 21 shots. CJ Regula led the way with four, while Tyler Duke and Lohrei each had three.
• The Buckeyes were 1-for-4 on the power play and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill in the win.

Buckeye This and That

• On the penalty kill, Ohio State is 133-for-149 (.893) this season, among the NCAA leaders.
• Halliday leads the Buckeyes with 30 assists and 39 points this season. Wise is second with 32 points, including 21 assists, and Lohrei is third with 28 points, ranking second with 25 assists.
• Dobes is now ninth in school history with 41 career wins and tied for eighth for a single season with 20 victories.
• Ohio State is 11-4 in the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament, with three series wins in four chances (all at home) since it moved to a best-of-three format.