Ohio State junior forward Dakota Joshua and Penn State sophomore forward Nikita Pavlychev face off during their game on Dec. 1. The teams tied at five, but the Nittany Lions won the shootout 1-0. Credit: Nick Hudak | For the Lantern
A six-goal third period highlighted a fast-paced offensive show between No. 11 Ohio State (8-3-4, 3-3-1-0 Big Ten) and Penn State (8-7-2, 3-4-1-1 Big Ten) Friday night at the Schottenstein Center. The game ended in a 5-5 tie, with Penn State getting the 1-0 shootout win.
A goal by Penn State junior forward Andrew Sturtz with less than a second to go in the game forced overtime for the Nittany Lions after Ohio State came back from a 3-1 deficit in the third period.
“We had total control of the puck, and we just tried to play the clock instead of continuing to try and play the game there at the end,” head coach Steve Rohlik said. “The kid got the puck to the net and that’s what hockey is.”
The Buckeyes battled back in the third, starting off the comeback with a one-timer by junior forward Dakota Joshua off a pass from sophomore forward Tanner Laczynski. Laczynski would score less than a minute later on the power play to tie the game at three.
“Whenever you’re down, you have to keep morale up, and I thought we did a good job of that in-between periods,” Laczynski said.
Junior forward Brendon Kearney found the back of the net for Ohio State with 11 minutes to play in the period to give Ohio State its first lead of the game, a 4-3 advantage. Senior forward Christian Lampasso and freshman forward Austin Pooley had assists on the play, giving each member of Ohio State’s fourth line two points on the night.
“It’s just doing things simple,” Kearney said about his line’s success. “Not trying to force any plays, and being smart with the puck and good things seem to happen.”
The scoring was far from complete. Penn State knotted up the score, this time on a shot by senior defenseman Trevor Hamilton. Hamilton then had a chance to take the lead shortly after on the power play, but his shot hit the post, and the score remained 4-4.
The Nittany Lions called a timeout with 4:33 to go in the period, and just eight seconds later, Ohio State took the lead on a shot in front of the goal by junior forward Freddy Gerard off assists from Laczynski and senior forward Matthew Weis.
Ohio State had chances to clear the puck in the final seconds, but it stayed in its defensive zone for much of the final minute. And in the final seconds, the failed chances cost the Buckeyes. Sturtz scored with 0.7 seconds remaining on a shot from the point that somehow trickled past goalie Sean Romeo. After a long review confirming the goal, the score was tied at five and the game went to overtime.
Though overtime featured no goals, both teams had ample chances to secure the full three points in the Big Ten standings. Laczynski hit the cross bar on a chance in front of the net and Penn State failed to take advantage of a power play, so the game went to a shootout.
The game eventually went to a shootout tied at five. Ohio State led Penn State in shots 48-36.
Sturtz was the lone scorer for either team in the shootout. The win earned Penn State two points in the Big Ten standings. Ohio State gained one point in the Big Ten, and the matchup shows up as a tie in the record books for both teams.
The first period featured rushes up and down the ice from both teams, but it was the Nittany Lions who struck first on a goal by sophomore Kris Myllari. The Buckeyes evened the score before the first period was over on a goal by Lampasso. Pooley and Kearney earned the assists on the play.
The Nittany Lions scored two goals in the second period, the first of which was due to a costly turnover by Ohio State redshirt defenseman Wyatt Ege. Romeo made a save, but then Ege batted the puck into his own net with his glove, giving freshman forward Alex Limoges the tally, and giving Penn State the 2-1 lead.
“We have to correct a lot of our puck turnovers,” Rohlik said. “You can’t give good teams like that golden opportunities like we did tonight.
Junior defenseman Kevin Kerr doubled the lead later in the period, and the Nittany Lions had a 3-1 advantage entering the third period, which they eventually gave up.
Ohio State and Penn State will have a rematch at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Schottenstein Center.
