No. 8 Ohio State returned to Big Ten play tonight with a near flawless win over host Michigan State. The Buckeyes scored early and often. They excelled at special teams. At the final horn they were 4-1 victors.
| Scoring by Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 8 Ohio State | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Michigan State | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Sasha Larocque started the night off right by scoring mere seconds after the rubber dropped. The defenseman put the puck on net. Not having x-ray vision, Spartan goalie John Lethemon could not see it through Tanner Laczynski. Larocque’s shot slipped past for his first goal of the year and a 1-0 Buckeye lead.
JR D Sasha Larocque scored his first goal of the year 33 seconds into tonight's game, with assists to Gerard and Laczynski. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/8mAXm1zzmi
— Ohio State M Hockey (@OhioState_MHKY) January 6, 2018
Ohio State went on its first power play at the 4:37 mark of the opening period. The team capitalized on the advantage to pad its lead. The shorthanded Spartans briefly forgot the existence of Kevin Miller. John Wiitala didn't, though. He teed up the wide open forward. Miller buried the set up for a 2-0 Ohio State edge.
Kevin Miller scored on the power play in the first, assisted by Wiitala and Joshua. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/yhPQ34vHLJ
— Ohio State M Hockey (@OhioState_MHKY) January 6, 2018
The Buckeye power play would strike again in the early ticks of the second period. Just 15 seconds in Ohio State had a 3-0 advantage. Laczynski sent a shot to the Michigan State net. It was stopped, but Ronnie Hein was right there to stuff home the rebound.
Ronnie Hein scored his first goal of the season on the power play 15 seconds into the second. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/25F2lGnpVz
— Ohio State M Hockey (@OhioState_MHKY) January 6, 2018
Laczynski, already a factor in two of OSU’s goals, continued to torment MSU. Seconds after Hein’s goal, the Philadelphia Flyers prospect relieved the Spartans of the puck deep in their end. He then swiftly banked his tenth score of the season.
Tanner Laczynski's 10th goal of the season (in the second period) was unassisted. Steals the puck down low and SCORES! #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/2dA0Fz26bl
— Ohio State M Hockey (@OhioState_MHKY) January 6, 2018
Four goals would be more than enough to cement the win. This was a fairly righteous outing for the Bucks. They successfully bottled up the Spartans' top line. Goal leaders Mitch Lewandowski and Taro Hirose combined for just two shots on goal and one hit pipe.
| Buckeye Goal Scorers (Assists) | Pd | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Sasha Larocque (Freddy Gerard, Tanner Laczynski) | 1 | 0:33 |
| PP - Kevin Miller (John Wiitala, Dakota Joshua) | 1 | 5:58 |
| PP - Ronnie Hein (Tanner Laczynski, Matt Weis) | 2 | 0:15 |
| Tanner Laczynski (unassisted) | 2 | 0:32 |
Ohio State's entire line up was engaged in the offense. 16 of the team's 18 skaters recorded a shot on goal and eight different players figured in the scoring. OSU's special teams were darn near perfect. The Bucks' power play went 2-for-4 while the penalty kill was 5-for-5. The team blocked nine shots. Each block came from a different Buckeye (including seven forwards).
The only real blemish on the game came halfway through the third period. Michigan State's Brennan Sanford spoiled Sean Romeo's shutout bid with an even strength goal at the 10:10 mark. Romeo stopped every other shot, 21 in total, and picked up his tenth win of the year.
Ohio State and Michigan State hit the ice again tomorrow night at 7pm ET. You can listen to the game over the radio at 1460 AM The Fan. Folks with a BTN Plus subscription can stream live video coverage.
- The Buckeyes outshot the Spartans 28-22 in the contest. Laczynksi (5) led the way for OSU.
- Ohio State is now 13-4-4 overall and 6-4-1-0 in the Big Ten.
- The Fighting Irish and Nittany Lions were also winners tonight. The updated B1G standings are as follows: Notre Dame 33 points, Ohio State 19, Penn State 18, Minnesota 14, Wisconsin 13, Michigan 12, Michigan State 8.
