Abigail Miner/The LanternOhio State sophomore Sergio Somma shoots the puck during the Nov. 7 game against Michigan State.Buckeye goaltender Dustin Carlson posted his third shutout of the season and the Buckeyes defeated Northern Michigan 2-0 Saturday, in the second game of a split series.
NMU tested Carlson early and late, posing serious threats on power plays in both the first and third periods.
“You need it, good penalty kills and a good goalie,” Markell said. “You have to have good goaltending if you’re gonna weather a storm.”
Despite NMU maintaining the constant offensive, Carlson was impermeable, stopping 14 shots in the third period.
“I can’t say enough about the guy, he just comes through for us,” forward Ian Boots said. “The last four or five games he’s been everything for us.”
Carlson has allowed just four goals in the team’s last five games, guiding the Buckeyes to a 4-1 record in that span.
Boots recorded a goal and an assist in the win, putting the Buckeyes on the board in the second period with a power play goal.
The power play efficiency was a welcome sight after the Buckeyes wasted six opportunities in Friday’s game.
“The five-on-three was important,” Markell said. “We were trying to work something different on our power play and it got us the win.”
Saturday’s performance aside, Markell’s mid-week warning fell on deaf ears, as the Buckeyes dropped Friday’s contest 3-1.
“We were flat and they beat us in every phase of the game,” Markell said. “We didn’t compete hard tonight.”
The same complacency that irked Markell following the Nov. 14 win at Robert Morris appeared again.
“We’ve got to break them of that habit,” Markell said. “We weren’t ready to play a team as desperate as they were gonna be.”
Freshman Zac Dalpe recorded OSU’s only goal, his team-leading seventh of the season.
The Buckeyes are now 6-6-1 overall and 4-5-1-1 in conference play.
James Pallitto can be reached at [email protected].
