The anticipation for construction of a standalone, ice hockey-specific facility at Ohio State might become a reality sooner than many think. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
No. 6 seed Penn State needed a goal in overtime to stave off elimination, and senior forward Kevin Wall provided the spark, scoring in overtime to force a winner-take-all Game 3 against No. 3 seed Ohio State Sunday.
The Buckeyes (19-14-3, 11-11-2 Big Ten) and Nittany Lions (21-14-1, 10-13-1 Big Ten) were tangled in a defensive battle, with neither team getting on the scoreboard until the third period. In overtime, Wall scored his team-leading 15th goal and first since Feb. 3 to give Penn State the 2-1 victory in game two of the Big Ten quarterfinals.
At 10:35 in overtime, a double penalty was called on forwards Buckeye freshman Stephen Halliday and Nittany Lion senior Connor MacEachern, leading to the four-on-four session in which Wall would score. Head coach Steve Rohlik disagreed with the embellishment call on Halliday.
“We have a guy on a two-on-one get tripped in his skates, and [the referee] calls our guy for diving,” Rohlik said. “I’ve never seen it.”
In the third period, the Nittany Lions broke the scoreless tie. With an assist from junior forward Xander Lamppa, sophomore forward Ryan Kirwan netted his seventh goal on the season past sophomore goalie Jakub Dobeš to give Penn State a 1-0 lead with 3:57 remaining.
Ohio State responded, with junior forward Joe Dunlap scoring on assists from freshman defenseman Tyler Duke and fifth-year forward Jake Wise to knot up the game with just 1:34 remaining after lifting Dobeš for the extra man.
Shots were 13-10 in favor of Ohio State, and neither team capitalized on a power-play opportunity in the opening period.
The second period played out similarly, with the Nittany Lions getting their second man advantage opportunity at 3:13. The Buckeye kill unit was able to limit Penn State to three shots during the two-minute minor penalty, with senior defenseman Scooter Brickey blocking two.
Ohio State received its second power play at 14:09 of the second period courtesy of a holding minor on graduate forward Ashton Calder. However, junior goaltender Liam Souliere saved two shots on the kill.
With 1:41 remaining in the middle period, Rohlik challenged a play, checking into a major penalty on junior Nittany Lion defenseman Jimmy Dowd Jr. for slashing.
The officials agreed, and the Buckeyes received a five-minute four-on-five advantage. However, the Buckeyes couldn’t cash in, with Souliere saving nine shots during the disadvantage to keep the game scoreless.
“I think we almost tried to be too cute,” Rohlik said. “We didn’t get enough pucks to the net. Sometimes, it goes that way, unfortunately. We’ll keep tweaking [our powerplay approach] and come back.”
Ohio State, in total, outshot Penn State’s nation-leading shot-on-goal unit 56-32. Rohlik said he liked the aggressive attack and wants the team to continue the approach Sunday.
“We had some quality chances,” Rohlik said. “They’re good and played great.”
Neither team converted a power play on the night, combining 0-of-6. The Buckeyes committed four penalties on the night compared to two for Penn State.
Souliere totaled 55 saves on the night, good for most by a goalie in a Big Ten game this season. Dobeš tallied 30, surrendering the game-winning goal.
With the loss, Rohlik encouraged his team to stay focused and be ready for Sunday.
“Obviously [it’s] disappointing,” Rohlik said. “But that’s why there’s a third game. I mean, you’ve worked so hard all year to show up and compete and play against the best teams in the country. We’ve got another opportunity [Sunday].”
With the series tied, Game 3 will be played Sunday at 5 p.m. BTN+ will stream.
