Men’s Ice Hockey: Wisconsin torches game three in quarterfinals of Big Ten tournament

Garrison McDaniel
Sun, 10 Mar 2024 16:30:06 +0000
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Ohio State junior defenseman Brent Johnson heads to the goal in the Buckeyes’ 3-2 loss to the Badgers Saturday in Madison, Wisconsin at the Kohl Center. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics

With a chance to advance to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, the Buckeyes came up just one goal short.

The Wisconsin Badgers tied up the quarterfinal series 1-1 as they beat Ohio State 3-2 Saturday in Madison, Wisconsin at the Kohl Center.

The 7th-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes (13-19-4, 4-18-2 Big Ten) dropped game two of its best-of-three quarterfinals hockey series against the 2nd-seeded Wisconsin Badgers (23-9-3, 16-6-2 Big Ten).

The Badgers earned a win in front of 10,837 of their home fans, which is a Big Ten tournament attendance record.

Wisconsin earned two power-plays to start the game, taking the lead on the second. Sophomore forward Christian Fitzgerald’s goal came 13 minutes into the first period as the Badgers spent most of the period in their offensive zone.

After a tripping penalty by senior forward Carson Bantle the Buckeyes capitalized on the man advantage. With only 59 seconds remaining in the period, freshman forward Thomas Weis scored the equalizer by deflecting a shot from the point.

The assists on the goal went to junior defenseman Brent Johnson and freshman forward Max Montes, both earning their third point of the series.

The Badgers opened the second by scoring four minutes into the period. After a lengthy possession on Ohio State’s end, senior forward David Silye scored off a shot from the slot that beat freshman goaltender Kristoffer Eberly. Sophomore forward Cruz Lucius earned his second assist of the night on Silye’s goal.

It did not take long for Wisconsin to double its lead as senior defenseman Anthony Kehrer scored three minutes after its second goal. It seemed as if Ohio State got a goal back only 35 seconds after the Badgers scored.

However, after a challenge by Wisconsin head coach Mike Hastings, the play was ruled as goaltender interference and the goal did not stand. This left the game 3-1 in favor of the Badgers.

The Buckeyes found a glimpse of hope after a shot squeezed through the five-hole of senior goaltender Kyle McClellan and senior forward Patrick Guzzo was able to poke it into the net to cut the Badgers’ lead back to one.

After the goal, Ohio State could not find any more offense even after head coach Steve Rohlik pulled Eberly for an extra skater with 2:45 left in the period. The empty-net led to Lucius adding a goal with his two assists on the night, sealing the Badgers’ victory.

The winner-takes-all in the quarterfinal series on Sunday at 6 p.m. It will be streamed live on Big Ten Plus. If Ohio State wins it will take on Michigan State in the semifinals, if Wisconsin wins it will take on Minnesota