The Ohio State Men’s Ice Hockey team celebrates a goal during the Ohio State-Michigan State game on Nov. 29. Ohio State won 4-2. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
Senior defenseman Grant Gabriele scored the Buckeyes’ second power play goal of the night as the No. 10 Ohio State men’s hockey team recorded its first win of the season, 4-2 against Michigan State Sunday at the Schottenstein Center.
Ohio State entered game two of the series 0-6 on the power play this season and left with two special team goals. Junior forward Quinn Preston scored the first of the night on a rebound off the pads of Michigan State goaltender Drew DeRidder 13:53 into the first period.
“They’ve got a very good goaltender on the kill. But, you know what, [assistant coach] JB Bittner does an excellent job of working with these guys going over a lot of video,” Ohio State head coach Steve Rohlik said Sunday. “You’ve just got to be patient sometimes and not get too frustrated. Certainly scoring a couple of power play goals was the difference.”
Gabriele’s slap shot in the third period added the Buckeyes’ second power play score and the eventual game-winning goal.
“The forwards are down there battling their butts off and I kind of have the easy part just surveying, seeing if any loose pucks pop out,” Gabriele said Sunday. “It’s just part of the game, I don’t think you can practice the loose puck that pops out right there.”
With just a little more than five minutes remaining in the second period, sophomore forward Tate Singleton took the puck from the neutral zone and skated two-on-one with freshman forward Joe Dunlap; Singleton passed to Dunlap, who scored the first goal of his Ohio State career for a 2-1 Buckeye lead.
Freshman forward Travis Treloar assisted on two Ohio State goals; with a goal in game one, Treloar led the team with three points in the series. Junior forward Gustaf Westlund scored an empty-net goal to secure the 4-2 Ohio State win.
Junior forward Mitchell Mattson and graduate forward Charlie Combs scored for Michigan State. Ohio State goaltender Tommy Nappier saved 42 of the Spartans’ 44 shots. Nappier faced 87 total shots in the series.
“They put a ton of shots on [Nappier], I don’t know what he had, 90 shots on the weekend,” Rohlik said. “He’s certainly our backbone, and if it wasn’t for him it could’ve been a different story.”
Despite Michigan State’s shot advantage, the Buckeyes managed to keep the majority of shots out from in front of the net.
“When they go to their flanks on the side, we’ve got to just make sure we’re all getting back to the house blocking that middle shot,” Gabriele said. “Just keeping them to the outside because you’ve got to take that threat out from the middle.”
Sophomore forward Dalton Messina exited with an injury in the second period and will be assessed after the game.
Ohio State moved to 1-3-0 on the season with four Big Ten points. Michigan State fell to 2-1-1 with two conference points.
The Buckeyes will play Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at home against Wisconsin, while the Spartans host Minnesota.
