No. 7 Ohio State concluded its trip to Colgate in fine fashion. Tommy Nappier followed up Sean Romeo’s series-opening shutout with a whitewash win of his own. It is the first time since 2011 that Buckeye goaltenders posted consecutive shutouts in a series sweep.
| Scoring by Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 7 Ohio State | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Colgate | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Shooters on both sides found plenty of space and good looks at the net in a spirited contest. Nappier thwarted all comers, stopping 24 shots. His counterpart, Colgate goalie Mitch Benson, also kept his net clear for much of the tilt. Here he is shutting the door on Eugene Fadyeyev.
14:26 1st | With a quick toe save by Benson on this wraparound, it keeps us scoreless in the opening period! pic.twitter.com/wQo4pO3wnf
— Colgate Men's Hockey (@ColgateMIH) November 10, 2018
It wasn’t until midway through the third period that the Buckeyes finally cracked the Raider netminder. John Wiitala’s quick pass from behind the net set up Dakota Joshua. The Toronto Maple Leafs prospect ripped his third goal of the season and the eventual game winner.
Ohio State 1, Colgate 0, 2:42 left/3rd. Media timeout.
— Ohio State Men's Hockey (@OhioStateMHKY) November 10, 2018
Dakota Joshua opened the scoring with his third goal of the year, set up by Wiitala. pic.twitter.com/b39fpIDSvV
Nappier and Romeo combined for 43 saves in the series. In Ohio State's last four games the goaltending duo has recorded three shutouts. They did so behind significantly improved defensive efforts but that's an impressive stat nonetheless.
With today's victory, Ohio State improves to 6-3-1 on the season. The Buckeyes return to Columbus next week for some home cooking and a Big Ten battle with the Badgers.
- The Bucks led the Raider in shots on goal, 36-24. Gustaf Westlund (6) paced all OSU shooters.
- Dakota Joshua's goal came at the 10:08 mark of the third period. John Wiitala and Brendon Kearney assisted.
- Both teams were 0-for-4 on their power play chances.
