The No. 7 Ohio State men’s hockey team was unable to leave South Bend, Indiana, with a win over Notre Dame this weekend. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
In a season where every game matters down the stretch in the Big Ten standings, No. 7 Ohio State was unable to get a win against Notre Dame over the weekend.
The Fighting Irish (15-14-3, 10-10-2 Big Ten) won Friday night’s contest 2-1, while the Buckeyes (17-11-2, 10-9-1 Big Ten) could only muster a tie on Saturday, losing the shootout for the extra conference standing point.
Friday
Junior forward Landon Slaggert’s two goals were all Notre Dame needed to defeat Ohio State 2-1 Friday night.
It was a quiet first period until Slaggert scored with 1:51 left to give the Irish a 1-0 lead.
In the second period, Slaggert scored for a second time about seven minutes in after a pass by graduate defenseman and captain Nick Leivermann gave him a one-on-one opportunity with sophomore goalie Jakub Dobeš to make it 2-0. For Slaggert, it’s the third time he’s recorded a goal in the last four games.
Fifth-year forward and captain Jake Wise got Ohio State on the board with a power play goal in the third period with just under 10 minutes left. Forwards freshman Stephen Halliday and junior Travis Treloar assisted on the play.
Wise’s goal makes him the fourth Buckeye with double-digit goals this season.
The Buckeyes emptied the net with 1:55 left in the contest to give themselves a six-on-five advantage but could not tie the game as four shots, three in the final 10 seconds, were all offline.
Ohio State failed to cash in many on-net opportunities, losing despite outshooting Notre Dame 38-22.
Dobeš was outplayed by his Fighting Irish counterpart senior goaltender Ryan Bischel, giving up two goals and being outsaved 37-20.
The Buckeyes had five power-play opportunities on the night, only converting one, with two undone by subsequent penalties, turning them into four-on-fours. Ohio State shut down all four Notre Dame power plays.
Saturday
Ohio State couldn’t hold on to a two-goal lead, tying the Irish and losing the shootout 3-2 on Saturday.
The Buckeyes built an early lead, getting a power play goal from sophomore defenseman Mason Lohrei at the 6:11 mark to make it 1-0. The goal was only Lohrei’s second on the season.
Both teams were sloppy in the first period, with 10 penalties, five by each, being committed in the first 20 minutes. There were only three penalties in the remainder of the contest, one by Notre Dame and two by Ohio State.
Senior forward Dalton Messina scored his first collegiate goal just over three minutes into the second period to make it 2-0 Buckeyes.
Notre Dame would quickly respond with its own goal via graduate forward Jack Adams on the power play at the 13:07 mark to make it 2-1.
Leivermann would tie the game off another power play goal approximately four minutes later.
Neither team could dent the scoreboard in the final period, sending the game to a five-minute, three-on-three overtime, which also went scoreless, solidifying the tie.
In round eight of shootouts, graduate defenseman Chase Blackmun scored a goal to give the Fighting Irish a 3-2 advantage.
Sophomore forward Cam Thiesing was unable to extend the shootout, missing his attempt, giving the extra conference point to Notre Dame.
The Buckeyes’ top-ranked special teams unit in the conference had an off night, giving up the two power play goals and going 1-6 on opportunities themselves.
Ohio State controlled the offensive tempo again despite being unable to secure the win, outshooting the Irish 52-23.
Bischel tacked on 49 more saves, outdueling Dobeš again, who had 21 on the night.
Ohio State now sets its sights towards Michigan, playing Thursday at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus and Saturday afternoon at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland for the outdoor Faceoff on the Lake game.
