It was a heartbreaker Friday night for the Ohio State men’s hockey team. But Saturday was different, as the Buckeyes took care of business against Arch Rival Michigan 4-1 up in Ann Arbor.
OSU meant business early on, getting ahead by two goals in the first period to put the pressure on the Wolverines. Matt Miller broke the seal just :43 seconds into the game to get things cranking. Jaedon Leslie scored his first goal as a Buckeye when he added a second tally with 10:17 left in the period.
Michigan would try to claw back when it put one in the back of the net halfway through the second period, but that would be all the Wolverines could muster.
Austin Pooley put OSU up by two goals in the 3rd period when he converted off a 2-1 odd-man rush with 8:21 left in the game. Then, Quinn Preston added an empty netter with under one-minute left, and that’s how things would end, with the Buckeyes notching a much needed 4-1 victory.
The Buckeyes improve to 16-9-3 on the year and 9-7-2-0 in the Big Ten with the win over the Wolverines.
Ohio State returns home to host Penn State Friday and Saturday in @TheSchott. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/Moaa36Ri5m
— Ohio State Men's Hockey (@OhioStateMHKY) February 2, 2020
The win moved OSU back into a tie for first place after Notre Dame helped by taking down Penn State. Michigan State is just one-point behind though and has two games in hand.
Two big series now loom over the next two weekends. The Buckeyes take on Penn State at home next Friday and Saturday, then head to East Lansing for two against Michigan State. Those will go a long way in determining the Big Ten regular-season champion.
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