No. 14/14t Buckeyes Down No. 7/7 Wolverines, 6-5, for Series Sweep

Lippincott, Dzingel each score two goals and add two assists as Buckeyes win seventh game in a row

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- With 11 points combined from the trio of Alex Lippincott, Ryan Dzingel and Chris Crane, the No. 14/14t Ohio State men’s hockey team skated to a 6-5 win over No. 7-ranked Michigan Saturday night at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich. The win gives the Buckeyes a two-game sweep of the Wolverines (7-5-2, 3-5-2-1 CCHA) after a 2-1 victory Friday, moving their winning streak to seven and unbeaten streak to nine. The squad is now 10-3-1 on the year and 7-2-1-1 in the CCHA to stand in first place.

 

For the second-consecutive game, Michigan opened the scoring, but Ohio State scored twice in less than three minutes for a 2-1 lead at the end of the first period. Lippincott tallied at 6:25 before Crane’s goal at 9:04 for the Buckeyes. At 1:54 of the second period, Michigan tied the game at 2-all. Dzingel then scored twice in a 16-second span with Ohio State on a major power play, giving the Buckeyes a 4-2 lead. The Wolverines netted a power-play goal of their own at 12:03 to draw within one, but a goal from Buckeye Max McCormick at 15:58 gave Ohio State a two-goal lead through 40 minutes. The Wolverines again scored early, tallying a shorthanded goal at 1:46 of the third period to make the score 5-4. Ohio State again responded to a Michigan goal quickly, as Lippincott scored 3:02 later with the Buckeyes on the power play for a 6-4 lead. The Wolverines made it a one-goal game for the sixth time with a tally at 18:20, but the Buckeyes skated to the 6-5 victory, holding off the Wolverines while their net was empty for the extra attacker. Sophomore Lippincott and freshman Dzingel each had two goals, two assists and four points in the win to set career highs, while Crane, also a sophomore, had a goal and two assists for a three-point night.

 

“We talk about growth for our team,” Mark Osiecki, second-year Ohio State head coach, said. “Coming in with a young group, we ask our guys to take the next step and continue to improve, build on what we’ve been doing. The guys are really worried about themselves, not the other team, and continue to get better.”

 

Ohio State led 2-1 after the opening period. Michigan took a 1-0 lead 2:56 into the game when Mike Chiasson scored on the power play. The Buckeyes tied the game at 6:25 on a tally from Lippincott after a scrum in front, with Dzingel and Devon Krogh assisting on the play. At 9:04 Ohio State took its first lead when Crane tallied, assisted by Dzingel and Lippincott. Shots were 16-10 in favor of Michigan in the period, with senior goalie Cal Heeter making 15 saves. Ohio State did not score on its one power-play chance, with Michigan 1-for-2.

 

The teams combined for five goals in the second period, with Ohio State ahead 5-3 at the end of the stanza. Michigan tied the game at 2-all just 1:54 into the period on a Luke Moffatt goal. With Ohio State on a major power play, Dzingel scored twice in a 16-second span for a 4-2 Buckeye advantage. His first goal came at 8:18, with the assists from freshmen Chad Niddery and Justin DaSilva. The second was at 8:34, assisted by Lippincott and Crane. The Wolverines scored a power-play goal of their own at 12:03 when Alex Guptill tallied to draw within one, but freshman Nick Oddo found classmate McCormick for a goal at 15:58, with another freshman, Darik Angeli, picking up the second assist. Shots were 12-4 in favor of Ohio State in the period. Each team had three power-play chances in the stanza, as Ohio State was 2-for-3 including the major and Michigan was 1-for-3.

 

In the third, Michigan drew within one again (5-4) on a shorthanded goal by Derek Deblois at 1:46 on a power play. Ohio State was back on the power play a few minutes later and converted, as Lippincott redirected a shot from the point by senior Sean Duddy, with Crane picking up the second assist. Ohio State maintained the two-goal lead until the Wolverines’ Guptill scored with 1:40 left in regulation for a 6-5 game. Ohio State outshot Michigan, 15-11, in the period. The Buckeyes converted 1-of-3 power-play chances in the period, while the Wolverines did not have an opportunity.

 

Ohio State outshot Michigan, 37-31, in the game. Heeter played 59:58 in the Buckeye net and had 26 saves. Shawn Hunwick had 31 stops in 59:24 for Michigan.

 

The Buckeyes were 3-for-7 on the power play, with Michigan 2-for-5.

 

Postgame Notes

·         Ohio State has a bye week over Thanksgiving before hosting three-consecutive games in Value City Arena. Lake Superior State comes to town Dec. 2-3 before the opening game of a home-and-home series with Miami Dec. 9. The final game of the first half of the season is Dec. 10 vs. the RedHawks in Oxford.

·         The sweep was the Buckeyes’ first in Ann Arbor since Feb. 14-15, 1986 and the first sweep of Michigan since Nov. 17/19, 1989, in a home-and-home series.

·         Crane took the team scoring lead with 15 points on seven goals and eight assists and has a team-best +8 rating. It was his third three-point game of the season and his second two-assist night.

·         Dzingel’s four-point night was the third multiple-point game of his career after two two-point performances. It was his first two-goal and first two-assist game as a Buckeye. He has 13 points to tie for second on the team, tying with Crane and Krogh for first with eight assists.

·         Lippincott has six points on the year, with three goals and three assists. The two goals and four points marked a career high, while it was the second two-assist game of his career (last Nov. 6, 2010 vs. Alabama-Huntsville). He has a 3-3-6 line in his last two games combined.

·         Ohio State matched its season best with six goals, first set Oct. 28 vs. Alaska in a 6-0 win. The team is averaging 3.29 goals a game on the year.

·         The five goals allowed matched a team opponent season high. It was the first time the squad gave up more than two goals since Oct. 20 at Michigan State. The Buckeyes had allowed six goals in their last six games combined. The team is allowing 2.00 goals a game this season.

·         Michigan’s first-period power-play goal was the first allowed by the Buckeyes in 26 chances. The team is 62-for-70 (.886) on the penalty kill this year.

·         Ohio State had the fifth game this season with multiple power-play goals and now is 17-for-69 (.246).

·         The shorthanded goal scored by Michigan in the third period was the first allowed by the Buckeyes this year.

·         The Buckeyes and Wolverines will meet in January, facing off in Columbus Jan. 13 and in The Frozen Diamond Faceoff Jan. 15 outdoors at Progressive Field in Cleveland.