The men’s hockey Buckeyes concluded their weekend and season series against No. 15 Michigan tonight. Ohio State played with good energy and goalie Christian Frey turned in a strong performance in net. However, the Wolverines prevailed thanks to superior special teams and some defensive miscues by the Bucks.
| goals by period | 1 | 2 | 3 | final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| No. 15 Michigan | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
Zach Hyman put Michigan on the board at 13:17 of the first period, outmuscling defender Josh Healey for position at the net where he easily tapped a cross ice pass behind Frey. The Wolverines’ leading scorer, along with linemates Dylan Larkin and Justin Selman, were trouble for the Buckeye defense throughout the game. All together the line registered 10 points on the night.
Special teams were also a challenge for Ohio State. They gave up, essentially, two power play goals on three opportunities. The Wolverines’ third goal was a continuation of pressure on their second man-up chance. The puck crossed the goal line seconds after then expiration of the penalty. The Buckeyes failed to connect on any of their power play chances including a major man-advantage.
On the positive side of the ledger (I’ll bet you didn’t think there was one. Ha!) the Buckeyes were engaged in the game from start to finish. They made a few bad decisions, for which a talented and motivated Michigan team made them pay, but by and large they skated hard and fought for pucks.
| pd | time | buckeye goal scorers (assists) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 12:25 | Tanner Fritz (Nick Oddo, Janik Moser) |
| 3 | 19:34 | Tyler Lundey (Nicholas Jones) |
Ohio State also owned a 30-23 edge in shots. Two of those shots found their way to the back of the Michigan net. Tanner Fritz kept his hot streak going with his eighth goal of the season. Tyler Lundey also dented the twine late in the game as he put home a slick centering feed from freshman Nicholas Jones.
As unattractive as the goals against total was, I thought Frey had a good night in net. Four of the five Michigan goals, had he been able to stop them, would have been incredible saves. He ought to be the Bucks’ go-to goalie the rest of the way.
Ohio State isn’t going to magically become a more talented team this season, but if they continue to play the way they did this weekend there will be a few more tics in the win column by the end of the season. The Buckeyes try to build on the positives of this series as they welcome Penn State to the Schott. Games are scheduled for Friday and Saturday.
