Men's Hockey: No. 12 Ohio State ends Big Ten journey with 2-1 loss to Penn State

Ohio State junior forward Mark Cheremeta (17) looks for an open teammate during the Ohio State-Penn State Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals Friday. Ohio State won 4-3. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor

No. 12 Ohio State’s 2022 Big Ten Tournament run came to an end Sunday with a 2-1 loss to Penn State in the quarterfinals.

The Buckeyes (22-13-2) were forced to play from behind as the Nittany Lions scored first in the second period. Ohio State head coach Steve Rohlik said the Buckeyes ultimately came up short.

“I felt we were ready, and we weren’t quite good enough,” Rohlik said. “They got a couple of one-goal wins when they needed them and we just didn’t have enough firepower to get it done.”

Penn State struck first just as it did in the series opener Sunday, scoring the game’s first goal off the stick of freshman forward Ryan Kirwan at 13:30 in the second period. Junior forward Tate Singleton and the Buckeyes answered towards the end of the frame, tying the game at 1-1 just before entering the second intermission.

The game remained tightly contested through the first half of the third period, but Penn State pulled away when freshman forward Dylan Lugris slipped a shot past Ohio State’s freshman goaltender Jakub Dobeš at 13:07.

In the final seconds of the game, freshman forward Georgii Merkulov fired what would have been the tying goal for overtime from just outside the crease, but missed by mere inches.

Penn State outshot the Buckeyes 35-24 and both teams had at least two penalty kills.

In the Big Ten projected rankings published at the start of the year, Ohio State was picked to finish last in the conference. Rohlik said when he looks back on this season, he’s proud to see all the good his team had accomplished.

“No one gave us a chance,” Rohlik said. “I think we proved we’re a pretty good hockey team. This group just won 22 games or whatever it is — that’s a pretty good season.”

The next step for the Buckeyes is the 16-team NCAA Tournament, which begins March 24. The bracket will be revealed March 20 at 6:30 p.m.