Ohio State senior forward Jake Wise (28) makes a move past the defenders during the Ohio State-Michigan State game on Oct. 30. Ohio State won 5-1. Credit: Gabe Haferman | Assistant Photo Editor
The Buckeyes’ habit of falling behind caught up to them tonight, as they were unable to get over the hump in the final 10 minutes.
Ohio State’s No. 17 ranked men’s hockey team (9-6-0, 5-4-0 Big Ten) dropped the first of a two-game set to No. 3 Michigan (14-5-0, 7-4-0 Big Ten) 5-2 Friday.
Despite outshooting the Wolverines 38-25, the Buckeyes couldn’t get the job done. Junior forward Jaedon Leslie said he and his teammates need to generate more rebounds if they want to put more pucks in the back of the net.
“I think we need to get more traffic in front of their goalie to create second and third opportunities,” Leslie said. “I think if we can do that, we’ll have a lot more success.”
Head coach Steve Rohlik said he gives Michigan credit, saying they made the plays that winning teams often do.
“At the end of the day, they scored more than we did,” Rohlik said. “I don’t think we were perfect. I thought we got better, I thought our third period had a lot of energy, we had some chances, but give them credit. Disappointing night, but we’ve got to come back tomorrow.”
After 1:07, Buckeyes junior defenseman James Marooney was sent to the penalty box, giving the Wolverines a great chance to take an early lead.
Just 16 seconds into the power play, senior defenseman Nick Blankenburg did exactly that. Michigan’s captain snuck to the back post behind freshman goaltender Jakub Dobeš and guided the puck across the line, giving the maize and blue a 1-0 lead.
As has become the norm, Ohio State would have to come from behind if it wanted to pick up three points.
Rohlik was clearly frustrated with Marooney’s early penalty postgame.
“You don’t want to get a penalty in the first minute-and-a-half of the game,” Rohlik said. “Maybe we can stay out of the box tomorrow.”
The Buckeyes earned their first man-advantage with 10:38 remaining in the opening period. Sophomore defenseman Steve Holtz was given two minutes for charging.
Just as its opponents had done prior, Ohio State found the back of the net playing 5-on-4. Freshman forward Georgii Merkulov fired a rebound into the back of the net to level the score at one.
Merkulov’s tally was his fifth of the season and fourth in the last five games. Senior forward Jake Wise and freshman defenseman Mason Lohrei assisted the Russian’s goal.
After 20 minutes, the two rivals were tied both in the scoreboard and shot department. Both sides converted their lone power play opportunity in the frame.
Just like in the first, Michigan scored the initial goal of the second period. Senior forward Nolan Moyle gave the Wolverines the lead after just 39 seconds.
The New Yorker forced the puck past Dobeš and collected his third goal of the season. Blankenburg and senior forward Garrett Van Whye added helpers on the play. The assist gave Blankenburg his fourth multi-point effort of the campaign.
Ohio State’s power play unit retook the ice at 9:19 after junior forward Jay Keranen was charged with a five-minute game misconduct penalty for contact to the head. The Buckeyes had a prime opportunity to not only tie the game, but possibly take the lead.
Despite putting seven shots on goal during the major penalty, Rohlik’s team was unable to beat sophomore netminder Erik Portillo.
Sometimes, the result doesn’t tell the whole story. Leslie was pleased with the chances his team generated following Keranen’s ejection — they just couldn’t convert.
“We had some good looks on that power play. Both units had some great movement,” Leslie said. “At the end of the day, it’s just one of those things where it just didn’t go in on those power plays.”
Following Moyle’s quick tally, neither team broke down the other in the second period. After 40 minutes, Ohio State held a 22-16 upper hand in shots, due in large part to Keranen being sent to the showers.
Trailing 2-1, the Buckeyes would have to mount yet another third period rally in order to avoid dropping the series opener.
Senior defenseman Grant Gabriele — a native of Brighton, Michigan, – put the Buckeyes halfway home with 13:09 remaining. Gabriele, who said this series was personal during the week, picked a great time to light the lamp for the second time this season.
Junior forward Kamil Sadlocha and freshman forward Cam Thiesing each tallied their first-career point against the Wolverines on the goal.
Ohio State looked like the better team early in the third period and came close to finding a go-ahead goal. Leslie said he believes if the Buckeyes continue to play as well as they did in the first 10 minutes of the final period, they’ll win more often than not.
“I think we came out in the third with a lot of jump,” Leslie said. “We worked the low plays, we got pucks out, we were heavy on the puck. I think if we can do that for 60 minutes, we’re going to have success.”
That third goal never came as the Wolverines added a pair of scrappy, unconventional goals with 4:58 and 4:32 to play to grab a 4-2 lead.
Rohlik said Michigan did what good hockey teams typically do: Get pucks to the net.
“You throw pucks at the net, good things happen,” Rohlik said. “For them, throwing a puck from the half-wall hits some traffic in front or some bodies and ends up in the net. Sometimes that’s the way it goes.”
At that point, the wind had been taken out of the sails of both Ohio State’s skaters and the home supporters inside the Schottenstein Center.
Rohlik kept his net empty for a majority of the final four minutes, but the Buckeyes were unable to come any closer before Van Whye closed out the scoring with 36 seconds left to tick off the clock.
With the win, Michigan added three points to its lead atop the conference. The Buckeyes sit eight points back, in sole possession of fourth place.
Ohio State will look to snap a two-game losing streak in the series finale Saturday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m.
