No. 5 Buckeyes Skate to 3-3 Tie with No. 13/14 Ferris State

Buckeyes rally from a goal down three times; Fritz and Dries each post two points

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 5-ranked Ohio State men’s hockey team battled back from a one-goal deficit three times, skating to a 3-3 tie with No. 13/14 Ferris State Saturday in Value City Arena. The Bulldogs won the shootout, 2-0 in three rounds, to clinch the extra point in the CCHA standings. Ohio State is now 14-7-4 overall and 10-6-4-1 in the conference, while Ferris State is 15-8-3 and 9-6-2-1 in league play.

 

The teams were tied after the first period. The Bulldogs opened the scoring at 7:02 before Tanner Fritz tied the game 2:26 later. The teams were scoreless in the second period, with each goalie making 12 saves. In the third, Ohio State rallied to tie the game twice. FSU’s Kyle Bonis gave the Bulldogs their second lead of the night just 1:10 into the period. Ferris State maintained the lead until Buckeye senior Danny Dries scored shorthanded at the 10:10 mark. The Bulldogs responded with a power play goal at 13:09 but Max McCormick deadlocked the game for the third time at 16:38. Neither team could score in overtime, with Ohio State controlling play and putting four shots on net.

 

The teams were tied at 1 after the first period. At 7:02, just five seconds after a Bulldog power play expired, Simon Denis found Derek Graham alone at the far post and he was able to score. The Buckeyes tied the game at 9:28. Dries won a faceoff deep in the Bulldog zone. Darik Angeli knocked it toward the net, where Fritz was able to get to it and put it past Ferris State goalie CJ Motte. Ohio State outshot Ferris State, 9-6, in the period. The Bulldogs had one power play, with Ohio State scoreless on two.

 

Buckeye goalie Cal Heeter and Motte both stopped all 12 shots they faced in the second period to keep it a 1-1 game. Each team had one power play chance in the stanza.

 

In the third, Bonis scored just 1:10 in, finishing a 2-on-1 with Graham. With the Buckeyes killing a penalty, the puck went from Heeter to sophomore Curtis Gedig, who passed up to Dries on the wing. His slap shot from the faceoff circle beat Motte to tie the game at 2. Matthew Kirzinger gave Ferris State its third lead when he was able to get to a loose puck in the slot at 13:09 with the Bulldogs on the power play. Ohio State again responded. Ryan Dzingel made a long pass to Fritz. He found McCormick in the slot and he was able to get a backhand past Motte for a 3-3 game. Ohio State outshot Ferris State, 9-7, in the period. The Bulldogs were 1-for-3 on the power play and Ohio State had one chance.

 

In overtime, Ohio State outshot Ferris State, 4-1, and had nine total attempts at the goal. The Bulldogs held strong, ending the game in a tie and sending the contest to a shootout. In the shootout, Heeter and Motte both made saves in the first round. The Bulldogs were able to score on their next two shots, giving FSU the shootout victory.

 

For the game, Ohio State outshot Ferris State, 34-26. Both goalies played all 35 minutes. Heeter had 23 saves, with Motte stopping 31 shots.

 

The Bulldogs were 1-for-5 on the power play in the game and Ohio State was scoreless on four chances.

 

Postgame Notes

·         Ohio State will return to action with two games at Lake Superior State next weekend. The teams will meet at 7:05 p.m. Friday and Saturday in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.

·         It was Military Appreciation Night in Value City Arena. The Buckeyes wore camouflage jerseys which were auctioned off in a silent auction in the arena, with proceeds going to Defending the Blue Line charities. Items were collected at the arena for Operation Buckeye and Daniel Matheson, a Wounded Warrior, dropped the ceremonial puck pregame. The Ohio State Air Force and Army ROTC presented the flag pregame.

·         Dries now has 97 career points after two points vs. Ferris State. He is second on the team with 12 goals and 21 points and has his fourth 20-point season.

·         Fritz had the first two-point night of his collegiate career. He had two goals and three points in the series vs. Ferris State.

·         Heeter’s assist was his second of the season. He now has three helpers in his career.

·         Heeter has a 2.15 goals-against average and .928 save percentage this season, along with a 12-4-4 ledger.

·         Ohio State is 1-3 in shootouts this season.

·         Dzingel has a team-best 13 assists this season and is third on the squad with 18 points, leading the 12-member freshman class in scoring.

 

Postgame Quotes

Mark Osiecki, Ohio State head coach

On the game tonight

“I thought they responded really well tonight. We had a couple of goofy bounces and adverse situations we were put in, but we always bounced back. We just couldn’t get the lead.”

 

On adversity

“We’re fighting it. I keep emphasizing we’re just trying to build a foundation. Look at how many freshmen and sophomores we have. Early in the season things were just going our way and since Robert Morris is just hasn’t. They’re doing a good job of understanding, but we just have to do a better job of reminding them.”

 

On offensive efficiency

“I still think we can get more offense from our forwards. It’s a lot about getting to the net. We need to attack it and control the puck a little better.”

 

Danny Dries, Ohio State senior forward
On the team’s mood
“Well, losing always stings. The shootout is a nice thing for the fans, but we have to look past that and see it as a tie. We’ve lost what we had going earlier in the season and we’re going back to square one.”

 

On the team’s offense
“You can’t judge our offense after only two games [this weekend]. We just need to keep trying to get pucks in the net. We can’t let ourselves get frustrated. We need to keep throwing pucks on the net and try to get some opportunities.”

 

On the team gaining one point
“We scored with five minutes left to get to overtime, so that was good. We’re taking baby steps at this point. We’re back to square one now and we have to try and get things going again.”

 

Bob Daniels, Ferris State head coach

On if he is satisfied with the five-point weekend

“Absolutely. If you had told me that we’d get five points coming into the weekend, I’d have taken it gladly. That said, the fact we weren’t able to close the game with a lead under five minutes and two one-goal leads in the third, is something we will have to solve. Give Ohio State credit, though, they played very well.”

 

On Ohio State’s performance compared to Friday’s game

“Ohio State came out really hard tonight – probably the big difference between the two games this weekend was that yesterday they seemed to have a hangover from the Michigan series and weren’t on top of their game early, whereas tonight they were on from the get go. I thought we survived the first period and it was a fairly even game after that.” 

 

On playing for the win on the road

“Being on the road you don’t feel you have to put on a show for the fans. The pressure is more on the home team to secure a victory. As long as we had a tie, we were fine, but we’re certainly glad to pick up the extra point.”