Ohio State freshman goalie Jakub Dobes (44) prepares for a Minnesota shot during the Ohio State-Minnesota game Friday. Ohio State lost 3-2. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
No. 11 Ohio State ended the regular season on the road with two losses Friday and Saturday against No. 2 Michigan.
With a 5-3 result Friday and a 3-0 loss Saturday, the Buckeyes (21-11-2) will enter the Big Ten Tournament on a four-game losing streak. Ohio State dropped two games last weekend at home to then-No. 7 Minnesota to start the stretch of defeats.
Game 1
Game one for the Buckeyes was a tightly contested affair, in which Ohio State led 1-0 going into the first intermission off a goal scored by junior forward Kamil Sadlocha.
Michigan (25-7-1) would take a decisive lead early into the second period, scoring three goals in almost five and a half minutes from forwards sophomore Thomas Bordeleau and freshman Dylan Duke, as well as freshman defenseman Luke Hughes.
Ohio State evened the score with goals in the second period from senior forward Gustaf Westlund, and then in the third period off the stick of sophomore forward Travis Treloar.
Michigan would pull out of reach however, when Nick Blankenburg scored off a rebounding puck at 13:19, and Hughes buried an empty-net score in the game’s closing seconds. Ohio State head coach Steve Rohlik said the Buckeyes just didn’t do enough to pick up the win.
“This was a tough loss on the road. Basically another one-goal game.” Rohlik said, “In games like that, it often comes down to the team that makes the least mistakes. We took too many penalties and they won special teams tonight.”
Hughes’ two goals put him to 15 on the year and earned him the record for the most single-season goals from a freshman defenseman in Michigan history.
Game 2
Game two was all Michigan from the opening puck drop.
The Wolverines scored a goal in each of the three periods from Hughes and forwards sophomore Philippe LaPointe and freshman Mark Estapa.
Rohlik commended his team’s effort after the game, and added that he is looking forward to returning home to start the postseason in front of the home crowd.
“This was a hard-fought game.” Rohlik said, “It was pretty even start to finish; we just couldn’t get one by the goalie. We did enough to get home ice and we are looking forward to being in The Schott for the first round of the playoffs.”
Ohio State will now have a weekend off, not seeing action on the ice until the first round of the 2022 Big Ten Tournament. The Buckeyes’ opponent for the opening best-of-three series March 4-6 has not yet been announced.
