No. 2/3 Ohio State missed another opportunity to lock up the Big Ten title on Saturday night. The Buckeyes put forth a more complete effort and won the special teams battle. But defensive miscues coupled with opportunistic scoring by Minnesota and a fantastic performance by Gopher goalie Mat Robson thwarted the desires of the Buckeye faithful.

The Scarlet and Gray got behind the eight ball early. They pushed hard to generate offense in the first period. And they succeeded with 16 shots on goal for the frame. Only stellar goaltending by Robson kept the Bucks off the board.

Among other stops, Robson negated point-blank opportunities by Mason Jobst and Tommy Parran. He shut down a stuff attempt by Dakota Joshua. Austin Pooley came as close as any Buckeye to scoring, clanking a shot off the iron. But the offensive press opened up some defensive gaps. Minnesota exploited two OSU miscues in the opening stanza.

Just 20 seconds into the game, the Gophers slipped behind the Buckeye defense on a 2-on-0. Scott Reedy finished the rush with a Minnesota goal. Later Nathan Burke skated around Sasha Larocque to create another odd-man chance for the Gophers. Burke put home a second goal for the visitors who led 2-0 at the first intermission.

Ohio State’s offensive onslaught slowed in the second period. (Unlike last night, it did not disappear altogether.) The Bucks continued to have a territorial and possession advantage over the visitors. But Minnesota would once again capitalize on a defensive lapse. Brent Gates polished off a 2-on-1 for a 3-0 Gopher lead.

The Bucks caught a break late in the period as the Gophers ran afoul of the officials. Ohio State’s power play unit reeled off a pair of goals and boosted the team back into contention. First, Jobst wired home goal No. 16 on the season.

​Carson Meyer ripped a power play tally on Ohio State’s next advantage. That he would make a terrific impact on the game was a foregone conclusion. The Blue Jackets prospect seemed to be an angry man tonight. It was up in the air for a while whether that impact would be positive or negative, but he was able to channel that emotion to a productive end. 

With a helper on the goal, Joshua notched career point No. 100. The Toronto Maple Leafs prospect has racked up 41 goals and 59 assists in 126 career games. He has 13 points in the 14 games since the midseason break. 

As the Bucks closed the gap on the scoreboard, they ramped up the pressure on Robson. The Gopher goalie was up to the task. He stopped a total of 20 Buckeye shots in the third period. His teammates gave him some breathing room at the 8:47 mark. Rem Pitlick picked the puck off Jobst and teed up a Tyler Sheehy goal.

Undaunted, Ohio State resumed its attack. Ronnie Hein pulled the Bucks within a goal again, tipping in a shot by Tommy Parran. The tally was No. 10 on the season for the junior forward who, like Meyer, seemed to be playing with some extra fire.

The Buckeyes shelled Robson in the final minutes of the game. They got a late power play and pulled Tommy Nappier for the extra attacker as well. Meyer hit the pipe. Robson made point-blank stops on Meyer and Joshua. OSU couldn’t find the equalizer.

This is the first time all season Ohio State has suffered a series sweep or even back-to-back losses of any kind. Eight goals against are the second-highest total allowed by the team in a series this year. The Gophers are also the only Big Ten team the Buckeyes failed to defeat in regulation this season. OSU falls to 19-7-4 overall and 12-5-3-2 in the B1G.

The Bucks take another stab at clinching the conference championship next week. They are on the road at Michigan. One win will do it. Games are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday and 6pm ET on Saturday.

• Ohio State outshot Minnesota 46-16 for the game including a 21-2 margin in the third period.
• Mason Jobst (10), Matt Miller (8), and Dakota Joshua (7) led all Buckeye shooters.
• OSU went 2-for-5 on the power play tonight and 2-for-2 on the penalty kill.
• Want to bid on those nifty military appreciation jerseys? The auction is open until March 3.