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Buckeyes Upset No. 2-Ranked Notre Dame, 4-3
McCormick has team-best three points, Dzingel, Johnson and Krogh also add goals
COLUMBUS,
Ohio – The Ohio State men’s hockey defeated No. 2-ranked Notre Dame,
4-3, Saturday night in the Joyce Center on the Notre Dame campus to
earn a series split with the Irish. The Buckeyes led 2-0 after the
first period and 4-0 after the second. Notre Dame added three goals in
the third period, pulling within one with 1:25 remaining, but Ohio
State was able to shut the door and post the conference win. Ohio State
and Notre Dame both are 2-2 overall this year and 1-1 in CCHA play.
Freshman
Max McCormick led the way with a power-play goal and two helpers, while
classmate Ryan Dzingel had a tally and an assist. Freshman Matt Johnson
also scored for the Buckeyes and junior Devon Krogh had a power-play
goal of his own. The Irish scored an early goal in the third for a 4-1
Buckeye advantage. Notre Dame then scored at 17:16 to draw within two
and added an extra-attacker tally for a one-goal contest at 18:35.
Johnson
put Ohio State in the lead at 6:30 of the first period, scoring on an
assist from McCormick. With the Buckeyes on the power play, McCormick
then found Krogh for a one-timer at 12:02. Dzingel had the second
assist on the goal that gave the Buckeyes a 2-0 lead. Senior goalie Cal
Heeter stopped all six shots he faced in the period, as Ohio State
outshot the Irish, 9-6.
McCormick scored a goal of
his own at 5:06, converting on a backhand off assists from senior Danny
Dries and sophomore Chris Crane with Ohio State on a 5x3 power play.
Dzingel extended the Buckeye lead to four with an unassisted goal
following a forced turnover. Heeter had eight saves in the period, with
the Buckeyes leading in shots, 9-8, in the stanza.
In
the third, the Irish got on the board at 4:38 on a 5x3 power-play goal
from Riley Sheahan. Notre Dame scored twice in the final 2:44 to draw
within one. At 17:16 Stephen Johns scored and then at 18:35 Austin
Wuthrich tallied with the Irish net empty for a one-goal game with 1:25
remaining. Ohio State was able to hold off the Irish, with six skaters
on, and close out the game to notch the victory. Shots were 14-4 in
favor of the Irish in the stanza, with Heeter making 11 saves.
Ohio
State was outshot, 28-22, in the game. Heeter ended the contest with 25
saves in all 60 minutes. For the Irish, Steve Summerhays started and
played the first 31:08, allowing all four Buckeye goals and making 11
saves to suffer the loss. Mike Johnson played 27:15 and stopped all 14
shots he faced. Ohio State blocked 25 shots in the game, led by
sophomore defenseman Curtis Gedig with five, with senior Sean Duddy and
freshman Al McLean blocking four each. Krogh and freshman Chad Niddery
each had three blocks. In all, 10 Buckeyes blocked at least one shot in
the win.
The contest had 17 power plays, with Ohio State 2-for-8 and Notre Dame 1-for-9 with the man advantage.
The
Buckeyes will be back in action at Michigan State, facing off in a
Thursday/Friday series. Game time both night is 7:05 p.m. The Thursday
contest will be broadcast by Comcast (Channel 900 in Michigan). The
radio call will be on 1460 AM in Columbus and on line for free at
OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
Postgame Notes
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McCormick had the first multiple-point game of his career and the first
three-point game for a Buckeye this season. He is first on the squad
with three assists this season.
·
Dzingel has two two-point games in his four-game collegiate career. He
has a team-best three goals and five points this year.
·
The game was the last in the 43-year history of the Joyce Center. Ohio
State and Notre Dame also faced off in the final regular-season series
for Ohio State in the OSU Ice Rink.
·
Three of the four power-play goals in the series were scored 5-on-3,
with two for the Irish and one for Ohio State.
· Krogh’s goal was his first since Oct. 9, 2010 at Quinnipiac.
·
The win was the Buckeyes’ first over a team ranked second nationally
since March 13, 2010 when it defeated Miami in the CCHA tournament
quarterfinals.
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