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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 9 Ohio State men’s hockey team lost its Big Ten Tournament semifinal game at No. 4 Michigan, 7-3, Saturday in Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Wolverines scored three times in the first period and Ohio State was unable to recover. The Buckeyes made it a two-goal game in the third period with an extra attacker goal, but Michigan (23-11-3) tallied two empty netters to seal the win and advance to the tournament title game.
The No. 3 seed Buckeyes are now 20-15-3 on the year and await a possible at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. The selection show is set for 6:30 p.m. March 19 on ESPNU.
Quoting head coach Steve Rohlik
“It just wasn’t our night and wasn’t meant to be. We battled throughout the game but were unable to come back. It’s time to regroup and get ready for the NCAA Tournament.”
The Short Story
- Michigan scored just 23 seconds into the game and added a second before the contest was five minutes old. A third goal at 10:27 gave the Wolverines a 3-0 lead after the first period. The Wolverines outshot the Buckeyes, 14-11, in the opening stanza and there were no penalties called.
- Ohio State scored at 11:43 of the second, with Jake Wise taking a pass from Travis Treloar and scoring five-hole from the side of the net on the power play. Cole McWard also assisted on the tally, Wise’s ninth power play goal of the year.
- Michigan had the answer at 17:05 to again lead by three (4-1) heading into intermission. The Wolverines had the shot advantage, 14-9, in the second and each team had two power play chances.
- Treloar scored on the power play just 1:32 into the third period for a two-goal game (4-2). His tally, set up by Mason Lohrei and Wise, was chipped in from the near the post.
- Michigan scored right off a faceoff in the Ohio State zone to go back ahead by three at 6:20.
- Ohio State pulled its goalie early for the extra attacker and converted quickly, with a Cam Thiesing one-timer from the slot deflecting off a UM defender’s stick and in. Stephen Halliday and Wise assisted on the tally, which came at 15:34 and made it a two-goal game (5-3).
- The Wolverines added empty net goals at 17:10 and 18:46 for the 7-3 final.
- Shots in the third were 18-17 in favor of Ohio State. Each team had one power play chance.
- For the game, the Buckeyes were outshot, 45-38. Jakub Dobes played 57:07 and had 38 saves for Ohio State. The Buckeyes blocked 12 Michigan shot attempts. Scooter Brickey was first with three.
- The Buckeyes were 3-for-3 on the penalty kill and 2-for-3 on the power play in the contest.
Buckeye This and That
- On the penalty kill, Ohio State is 136-for-152 (.895) this season, among the NCAA leaders.
- Halliday leads the Buckeyes with 31 assists and 40 points this season. He is the first Buckeye freshman to hit the 40-point mark since Tom Fritsche had 45 in 2005. Halliday’s 31 assists are tied for the sixth-most by a Buckeye rookie and the most for any Buckeye since Tanner Laczynski had 30 in 2017-18. He is also the first Buckeye with at least 40 points since Laczynski had 47 that season.
- Wise is second with 35 points, including 23 assists. It was his third three-point game of the season. Lohrei is third with 29 points, ranking second with 26 assists.
- Treloar, who had a two-point night with a goal and an assist, now has eight power play tallies on the year and an 8-13-21 line overall.
- Ohio State is now 1-2 vs. Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament, with a 1-1 mark in the semifinals.
