Ohio State men’s hockey’s unprecedented Big Ten Tournament run ended in heartbreak in the Big Ten Tournament Final on Saturday.
The Buckeyes (14-21-2) made the deepest run by a No. 5 seed in the history of the tournament, reaching the final round, but could not get past the nation’s No. 1-ranked team, Michigan (29-7-1), falling 7-3 at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Michigan held off a spirited effort from Ohio State — which was playing to secure an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament — and outscored the Buckeyes 4-0 in the third period to claim the Big Ten crown. The Wolverines also dominated the faceoff battle throughout the contest, 47-22, including a 21-7 advantage in the third period.
Ohio State struck first in hostile territory, as junior defenseman William Smith lasered the puck past Michigan goaltender Jack Ivankovic just over eight minutes into the game, with the Buckeyes on the power play. Freshman defenseman Bryce Ingles and junior forward Ryan Gordon were credited with assists.
OSU 1, UM 0 | 5:30 left | P1 | Media timeout
— Ohio State Men's Hockey (@OhioStateMHKY) March 22, 2026
A look at the William Smith PPG pic.twitter.com/jV9kiQtWii
Michigan quickly answered, however, thanks to a goal from junior forward Garrett Schifsky with 2:11 remaining in the first period. The Buckeyes and Wolverines went into the first intermission tied at one.
The Wolverines jumped ahead 2-1 early in the second period after a goal from sophomore forward Will Horcoff, his 24th of the season, just 1:50 in the frame.
The pendulum swung back in the Buckeyes’ favor with 10:48 to play in the game’s middle frame, as freshman forward Jake Karabela knotted things up with his 15th goal of the season. Sophomore forward Félix Caron assisted on the goal.
Jake Karabela ties things up @OhioStateMHKY
— Big Ten Hockey (@B1GHockey) March 22, 2026
: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/dNwWbBbUco
Graduate forward Adam Eisele regained the lead for Ohio State with 3:29 remaining in the second period, sneaking a shot behind Ivankovic. But in the waning seconds of the frame, Michigan’s freshman forward Malcolm Spence evened things at three heading into the final period.
Eisele nets one @OhioStateMHKY retakes the lead
— Big Ten Hockey (@B1GHockey) March 22, 2026
: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/bh3ilUiJxw
Michigan’s T.J. Hughes broke the tie with 11:41 remaining in regulation, as the Wolverines’ captain took advantage of a favorable bounce off the pad of Ohio State goaltender Kristoffer Eberly. Junior forward Jayden Perron added to Michigan’s advantage, netting a power-play goal with 10:16 to play.
The avalanche of scoring from the Wolverines continued just a few minutes later as senior defenseman Luca Fantilli added another score with 7:17 remaining in the contest. Michigan capped off the game with an empty-net goal from junior Nick Moldenhauer.
Michigan's seven goals marked the most goals scored by a team in a Big Ten Tournament final.
With the loss, Ohio State's season comes to an end, as the Buckeyes needed a victory on Saturday to secure the Big Ten's automatic bid to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
