Ohio State graduate forward and captain Patrick Guzzo (71) celebrates after his goal to make it 2-0 against Penn State. The Buckeyes shut the Nittany Lions out 4-0 Thursday. Credit: Ohio State Athletics
Ohio State is now 8-0-1 in Columbus.
Despite dropping four of their last six matches, the No. 17 Buckeyes (10-4-1, 3-2-0 Big Ten) defended the Schottenstein Center in Thursday night’s 4-0 win over Penn State (6-8-0, 0-7-0 Big Ten).
Ohio State head coach Steve Rohlik said the Buckeyes’ ability to play as a unit was crucial in the team’s win.
“When you play five-man connected, especially defensively, you’re going to give yourself a better chance to win games,” Rohlik said.
However, the recent scoring woes for No. 17 Ohio State continued into the first period as the team was shut out on 11 shot attempts through the opening frame.
Despite going on three separate two-minute power plays, Penn State remained scoreless in the first period as the Buckeyes’ defense held the Nittany Lions to just six shots.
Rohlik said the Buckeyes’ special teams were crucial to begin the night.
“I give our penalty kill a ton of credit,” Rohlik said. “That team [Penn State] on a power play three times in a row is not the script we wanted, but to kill those three in a row was really big for us.”
Three minutes into the second period, Ohio State broke the scoreless tie when forward Max Montes corralled a loose puck in front of the net and backhanded it past Penn State goalie John Seifarth for his team-leading seventh goal of the season.
The goal for Montes was his first since the Buckeyes’ 9-3 win over Lake Superior State Nov. 1, as the sophomore had scored his previous six goals in the team’s first seven games.
Rohlik praised Montes’ goal, but said he’s urged him to improve his game without being directly in the action.
“At the end of the day, I’m happy he scored,” Rohlik said. “I kept trying to talk to him about not worrying about scoring or points, just try to become a better player away from the puck.”
The scoring for the Buckeyes continued less than two minutes later, as forward Patrick Guzzo scored his third goal of the season to put Ohio State ahead 2-0 with 13 minutes remaining in the frame.
The Buckeyes’ 2-0 lead remained intact heading into the second intermission as Buckeye goalie Kristoffer Eberly held the Nittany Lions out of the net while notching 14 saves in 40 minutes of work.
Ohio State then went on three separate power plays in the final period, and finally capitalized on its third as forward Gunnarwolfe Fontaine reeled in a deflected puck and flipped it back into the net to extend the Buckeyes’ lead to three with 5:44 to go.
Three minutes later, Ohio State would benefit from another insurance goal as Fontaine took advantage of an open Nittany Lion net to score his second goal of the night to put the Buckeyes ahead 4-0.
The fifth-year forward has now scored five of his six goals on the season in the team’s last five games.
Fontaine said he’s been fortunate on the offensive side as of late, praising the efforts of his teammates for his recent scoring surge.
“Obviously, I’ve gotten a couple tap-ins so I have to thank my teammates,” Fontaine said. “Coaches have been on us about playing the right style and I feel like I’m just getting lucky bounces right now – hopefully they keep coming.”
Both teams remained scoreless for the final two minutes of the match, cementing the Buckeyes’ 4-0 lead as the final.
Eberly’s strong defensive showing continued to the final horn as the sophomore held the Nittany Lions scoreless on the night, pitching his second shutout of the season while snagging 22 saves.
Along with a 6-1 record, Eberly’s goal-per-game average now sits at 1.28 through seven starts.
“Tonight he looked really confident – he looked calm,” Rohlik said. “They’ve [Ohio State goalies] been giving us chances all year, and we rewarded them tonight with a few goals.
The Buckeyes are back in action Friday night to conclude their two-game series with Penn State – puck drop is set for 7 p.m. at the Schottenstein Center.
