Ohio State then-junior forward Quinn Preston (16) tries to put in a shot during the Ohio State-Minnesota game Jan. 30. Ohio State lost 2-5. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
Game One
Ohio State came from behind for the third consecutive game in the first game of the series Friday, winning 4-3.
The Buckeyes rallied from 3-0 down for the second time this season, following the blueprint they laid out against Connecticut Oct. 15.
After the Golden Gophers put three past freshman goaltender Jakub Dobeš in the opening period, Ohio State fired a pair of goals past graduate goalie Jack LaFontaine in each the second and third periods, leading to a 4-3 victory.
Ohio State’s first goal of the night was scored with 13:43 remaining in the second period by senior forward Jake Wise following a great cross-ice pass from freshman forward Georgii Merkulov.
Wise found the back of the net just one second after the Golden Gophers killed off a power play. The goal was Wise’s third in a Buckeyes sweater and the fourth consecutive game in which Merkulov has tallied an assist.
Sophomore forward Patrick Guzzo cut Minnesota’s lead to one at the 9:54 mark of the second period, firing a wrist shot past LaFontaine for his third goal of the season. Senior defenseman Grant Gabriele and junior forward Kamil Sadlocha picked up assists on the goal.
The helper was Gabriele’s fourth of the season after grabbing the second assist on Wise’s goal earlier in the period.
At the end of two periods, the Buckeyes had been outshot 16-13 and trailed the Golden Gophers by just a single goal.
Just four minutes into the final frame, senior forward Gustaf Westlund found the back of the net from just inside the offensive zone. The Swedish international fired yet another wrist shot past LaFontaine, tying the game at three.
Freshman defenseman Mason Lohrei notched his team-leading sixth assist of the campaign on Westlund’s goal, the third-straight game he helped set up a teammate for a score.
Exactly halfway through the final frame, sophomore forward Joe Dunlap picked up the puck after senior forward Quinn Preston forced a turnover with a huge hit and drove to the net before beating LaFontaine, giving the Buckeyes a 4-3 lead.
The goal was Dunlap’s second of the season and gave Ohio State their fourth unanswered goal of the game and fourth consecutive match in which the Buckeyes have scored four straight to take down their opponent.
Ohio State was 5-for-5 on the penalty kill and did not concede across the final 40 minutes of play Friday night, leading to yet another come-from-behind victory.
The win was the Buckeyes seventh in eight contests and gave them a four-game conference winning streak.
Game Two
Ohio State’s four-game winning streak ended in the series finale as Minnesota shut out the Buckeyes and put two past Dobeš, leading to a 2-0 victory.
Junior forward Jonny Sorenson gave the Golden Gophers the lead with four seconds remaining in the opening period, and Minnesota never gave it up, shutting out the Buckeyes for the first time this season.
Three minutes before Sorenson found the opening goal, Ohio State had a goal disallowed after a lengthy video review. Preston put the puck in the back of the net on the power play, but it was ruled no-goal as one of his teammates interfered with LaFontaine in the crease.
Neither team found the back of the net in the second period, and Minnesota took its 1-0 lead into the third and final period. After 40 minutes, Ohio State had accumulated just seven shots, six fewer than the Golden Gophers’ 13.
Lohrei was called for hooking at the 6:37 mark of the third period, sending Minnesota to the power play for the sixth time in the series. Following a Buckeyes turnover, freshman forward Matthew Knies scored an unassisted goal, extending his team’s lead to two.
The goal was Knies’ fifth in a Minnesota sweater and put the game out of reach for Ohio State, ending their four-game winning streak.
The Buckeyes played with a 6-on-4 advantage for the final 1:02, but were unable to beat LaFontaine, who saved all 13 shots from Ohio State in the series finale.
Ohio State was 0-for-4 on the power play Saturday, failing to muster a shot on two of the man-advantage opportunities.
The Buckeyes are off next weekend before hosting Mercyhurst Nov. 26-27.
