Patrick Guzzo, 71, takes a shot during No. 7 Ohio State's 2-1 loss to No. 1 Michigan State on Saturday in the Big Ten Tournament.Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics
The Ohio State men's ice hockey team's Cinderella run came to an end Saturday night.
In the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament, Ohio State (14-20-4, 4-18-2 Big Ten) became the first seventh-seeded team to win a series in the tournament. Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, they lost the winner-take-all game 2-1 in East Lansing, Michigan, against the top-seeded Michigan State Spartans (23-9-3, 16-6-2). minutes) but was unable to reproduce the success. .
The first period of the game was notable for the Spartans missing several chances. The first good opportunity came when Spartans junior forward Red Savage beat junior goaltender Logan Turness, but the shot hit the right post of the net.
Just two minutes after Savage's chance, the Spartans looked like they were going to take the lead again, but a diving Turness stopped senior forward Reed Rebster's shot on what appeared to be a wide open net.
Neither team could make a power play, resulting in a score of 0-1, each with a man advantage. The first period was a fierce battle, with both teams scoring 13 shots on goal and each winning 12 faceoffs, resulting in a scoreless game.
The stalemate was broken with 1:23 left in the second period when the Spartans took the lead on a deflection by sophomore forward Daniel Russell, his 15th goal of the season. That was assisted by sophomore forwards Carsen Dorwart and Isaac Howard.
The Spartans beat Turnes again for the puck less than three minutes after the first goal, but senior forward Nicholas Muller interfered with the Buckeye goaltender's play after head coach Steve Roerich's objection. The goal was taken off the board. , keeping the score 1-0.
The breakaway tested both Buckeye goaltenders, but both made key saves to keep the Spartans at one point. Ohio State entered the third period knowing they needed to score. Otherwise, the season will be over. That put the team in the Spartans' net early in the period, and two minutes later freshman Max Montez scored his ninth goal of the season.
But Michigan State didn't let the celebration last long, putting the puck in front of Turnes just 13 seconds after Montez's goal. Rorik again contested this goal, seeking to intercept Telnes, but was unsuccessful. As a result, senior defenseman Nash Nienhaus regained the Spartan lead.
There was a back-and-forth period where it looked like Ohio State had scored the tying goal, but the play was quickly reviewed for offsides, and Michigan State won the challenge, making the score 2-1 for the Spartans. remained favorable.
After that chance by the Buckeyes, Michigan State shut them down, ending their Cinderella run just before the championship game.
Ohio State is ranked 29th in NCAA Tournament Pairwise Comparison Ratings, and with only 16 spots available for the NCAA Tournament, the Buckeyes' chances of being selected are slim to none, effectively 2023-24. It will bring the season to an end.
