Ohio State junior forward Joe Dunlap (21) celebrates with his bench during No. 12 Ohio State’s 6-0 win over No. 14 Michigan State in Columbus on Jan. 7. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
Five Buckeyes scored goals in a balanced attack that put No. 3 seed Ohio State ahead in the Big Ten Tournament after a 5-1 victory over No. 6 seed Penn State Friday in the quarterfinal round.
The floodgates opened for the Buckeyes (19-13-3, 12-11-2 Big Ten) in the second period, with special teams allowing them to net three goals on the Nittany Lions (20-14-1, 10-14-1 Big Ten) and build a commanding lead they never relinquished.
“We just stuck to it,” head coach Steve Rohlik said. “We know we’re playing a really good hockey team. You know, [our guys] made some unbelievable plays, and I think our team just knew we had to be good from start to finish. We just got some momentum there, and I think that was a key.”
Freshman forward Davis Burnside got the scoring started 4:31 into the opening period with his team-leading 14th goal on the season to give Ohio State a 1-0 lead.
A double penalty on senior forward Dalton Messina and Nittany Lions junior defenseman Christian Berger 4:09 into the second period got the Buckeyes going.
In the four-on-four session, freshman defenseman Tyler Duke and sophomore forward Cam Thiesing scored 44 seconds apart to give the Buckeyes the 3-0 lead.
The Buckeye run didn’t end there, as sophomore defenseman Cole McWard added to the lead via the power play with his sixth goal of the campaign to make it 4-0, ending the explosive middle frame.
“I talked a lot about it all year that we’re going to win because of our depth,” Rohlik said. “We can’t win because of one or two guys. And again, especially against teams like this, where you look up and down their lineup, they don’t have too many weaknesses. So, we need everybody, all 27 of our guys.”
In the third period, the two teams traded goals. Senior forward Ture Linden scored at the 9:00 mark for Penn State to spoil the Buckeye shutout.
Freshman forward Stephen Halliday countered with 7:58 remaining to solidify the 5-1 victory.
Halliday tacked on three assists with his goal to increase his team-leading point total to 38. He attributes his success to working hard every week and having upperclassmen leadership.
“[Rohlik] preaches just going to work and practice every week,” Halliday said. “With the senior class we have, it’s been unbelievable. I know [senior forwards Jaedon Leslie] and [Tate Singleton] have kind of taken me under their wing, so a lot of credit goes to those guys too.”
Ohio State’s special teams killed off four Penn State power plays and won the penalty battle by committing only four opposed to six for the Nittany Lions.
Sophomore goalie Jakub Dobeš saved 33 shots and surrendered one goal for the Buckeyes. Counterpart junior Liam Souliere tallied one more save at 34 but allowed five pucks into the net.
The Buckeyes controlled the Nittany Lions’ aggressive offensive attack, outshooting the conference-leading team in shot attempts per game 39-34.
With the Game 1 victory, Ohio State can close out the series Saturday and avenge its quarterfinal loss at the hands of Penn State last season.
“We have got to take it one at a time,” Rohlik said. “Yeah, it’s great to get the win tonight, but the job’s not done, and we have got to be ready [Saturday].”
Game 2’s puck drop is scheduled for 5 p.m. Saturday. If Penn State wins, a winner-take-all game three will be played Sunday at 5 p.m. BTN+ will stream the remainder of the series.
