Michigan
12-12-2, 7-9-2-1
Ohio State
17-5-4, 10-5-1-0
Michigan Falls in Series Finale Against No. 6 Buckeyes
1/27/2018 11:50:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» Niko Porikos scored his first goal of the season, while Dakota Raabe earned his first career assist.
» The Wolverines went 100 percent on the penalty kill for the third time in their last four games.
» The Maize and Blue are back in action at home next weekend when they host Wisconsin.
Site: Columbus, Ohio (Value City Arena)
Score: No. 6 Ohio State 5, No. 17 Michigan 3
Records: U-M (12-12-2, 7-9-2-1 B1G), OSU (17-4-4, 9-5-1-0 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Feb. 2 -- vs. Wisconsin (Red Berenson Rink at Yost Ice Arena), 7:30 p.m.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The No. 17 University of Michigan ice hockey team fell to No. 6-ranked Ohio State, 5-3, Saturday night (Jan. 26) at Value City Arena. The loss came despite a strong penalty kill that did not allow a power-play goal for the ninth time this season.
Michigan got its offense going early, as freshman forward Jack Becker scored at the 7:08 mark of the first period. Sophomore forward Nick Pastujov picked up the puck in the defensive zone and chipped it off the boards for Becker, who took the puck the length of the ice. He found a gap in the arms of Buckeye netminder Sean Romeo and squirted it past to give the Wolverines a 1-0 lead.
Ohio State had an answer shortly after when Freddy Gerard scored at 9:57. Gerard picked the puck up in the neutral zone and took a shot from the face-off circle that bounced off a Michigan defender and into the net to tie the game at 1.
The Buckeyes opened the scoring in the second period when Gerard scored his second goal of the night. Ohio State took advantage of a Wolverine turnover in the neutral zone and had an odd-man rush coming in. Matthew Weiss and Tanner Laczynski were denied by sophomore goalie Hayden Lavigne but Gerard was able to knock home the second rebound 26 seconds into the frame for a 2-1 Buckeye lead.
Michigan answered halfway through the period when senior forward Niko Porikos knotted the game at 2. Freshman forward Dakota Raabe brought the puck up the boards into the Ohio State zone and found Porikos uncovered in the slot. Porikos fired the one-timer past the netminder for his first goal of the season.
The tie was short-lived, as the Buckeyes scored with 6:48 remaining to regain the lead. John Wiitala intercepted a breakout pass in the Wolverine zone and found Ronnie Hein in the slot. Hein's shot made it into the net to give Ohio State a 3-2 lead.
The Buckeyes were not done in the second period as they doubled their lead with 3:04 left. Wyatt Ege found Brendon Kearney in the slot and he banked the puck off the post and in, to make it 4-2 in favor of OSU.
Michigan threatened midway through the third period when freshman forward Josh Norris drove to the goalmouth with the puck. A scramble in front of the net saw the puck enter the Ohio State goal, but was waved off as the whistle had blown before the puck made its way to the back of the net.
The Buckeyes had a goal waved off a short while later as they scored off of a hand pass in front of the Wolverine net, keeping the score 4-2.
OSU found the net again with 8:12 remaining in the game when Mason Jobst scored shorthanded. The Buckeyes were able to catch Michigan off guard and start a rush into the Wolverine zone. Luke Stork found Jobst in the slot and Jobst's shot squeaked past Lavigne and trickled across the line to make it 5-2.
Michigan would not quit and cut the Buckeye lead to 5-3, while playing four-on-four, when junior forward Jake Slaker knocked home a rebound with 2:30 remaining. Freshman forward Josh Norris took a shot from the point that missed wide but bounced back to a wide-open Slaker on the back door. Freshman defenseman Quinn Hughes also picked up an assist on the goal.
Michigan will return home to face Wisconsin on Friday and Saturday (Feb. 2-3) at Red Berenson Rink at Yost Ice Arena. The Wolverines tied and lost a game when they played the Badgers in Madison earlier this season. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 both nights.
Saturday's game will be the second annual ALS Awareness Game. The game will be played in honor of former Wolverine Scott Matzka '01, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2015. To learn more about Matzka's story visit www.ScottMatzka.com.
