Ohio State Falls in OT in Big Ten Tournament Championship Game
NCAA field announced at noon Sunday
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The No. 2 seed Ohio State men’s hockey team fell to No. 1 seed Notre Dame in the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game, 3-2 in overtime, Saturday in Compton Family Ice Arena. The Buckeyes overcame a 2-0 first period deficit with goals in the second and the third, but the Irish prevailed in overtime.
Ohio State, which had a six-game unbeaten streak end with the loss, is now 24-9-5 on the year. The squad is expected to make its second consecutive NCAA appearance. The 16-team field will be announced at noon Sunday on ESPNU. The four No. 1 seeds will be revealed on Twitter (@NCAAIceHockey) at 11 a.m.
The game was the Buckeyes’ third straight overtime contest in the Big Ten Tournament. The squad defeated Michigan State in game two of the quarterfinals and then topped Michigan in overtime in the semifinals. Ohio State is now 4-2 in overtime all-time in the Big Ten Tournament, with the other loss in the inaugural championship game in 2014. That was the squad’s only appearance in the final prior to this season. Ohio State is 2-1-5 in overtime this year.
Notre Dame 3, Ohio State 2 – OT
The Irish opened the scoring at 4:09 of the first period on a redirection in front by Bo Brauer and went ahead 2-0 on a power play goal by Matt Hellickson at 14:30. Shots were 10-7 in favor of the Irish in the opening period.
The Buckeyes got on the board at 6:21 of the second when junior Brendon Kearney redirected a shot by sophomore Matt Miller from the point. Ohio State put 17 shots on goal in the period, with Buckeye goalie Sean Romeo stopping all 10 Irish attempts on goal.
Just 1:07 into the third period Miller scored a goal of his own. Tanner Laczynski passed from down low to Miller in the faceoff circle and he put a shot shortside to tie the game at two. Neither team was able to score the rest of the way, with Romeo making a number of key saves in the final minutes. Shots were 12-9 in favor of Ohio State in the period.
The Irish won when Cam Morrison’s shot on the fly went in at 9:23. Shots were 9-7 in favor of Notre Dame in OT.
For the game, the Buckeyes outshot the Irish, 43-38. Romeo played all 69:23 and had 36 saves. ND goalie Cale Morris had 41 stops in 69:10.
There were three power plays in the game. Notre Dame was 1-for-2, and Ohio State did not score on its one chance, which was 22 seconds.
All-Tournament Team Buckeyes
Junior forward Mason Jobst, sophomore forward Tanner Laczynski and sophomore defenseman Matt Miller were named to the all-tournament team. Jobst had a team-high six points (3g, 3a) in the four tournament games combined, while Laczynski and Miller each had a goal and three assists for four points.