No. 14 Ohio State defeats Wisconsin 3-1 in home opener

The Ohio State men’s hockey team held its home opener Friday, defeating Wisconsin 3-1 behind three different goal-scorers and 29 saves from sophomore goalie Jakub Dobeš at Value City Arena.

Dobeš made 29 saves on 30 shots for a save percentage of .967 and carried a shutout bid until the 16:48 mark of the third period when freshman forward Cruz Lucius finally put the Badgers on the board.

The Buckeyes defense also performed well, blocking 13 of the Badgers’ shots.

The Ohio State penalty kill enjoyed a successful game, allowing no goals on five Wisconsin power plays. The Buckeyes are now perfect on the penalty kill this season, stopping all 15 opponent power plays and scoring three shorthanded goals.

Offensively, the Buckeyes had 45 shots and scored against Badgers senior goalie Jared Moe three times.

The scoring opened behind junior forward Patrick Guzzo’s second goal of the season, with assists to senior forward Jaedon Leslie and junior forward Joe Dunlap at 13:11 in the first period. Guzzo collected a loose puck that was left in the slot and put it past Moe.

The Buckeyes later added on goals from senior forward Jaedon Leslie and freshman forward Stephen Halliday.

The goal scored by Halliday was his first of the season and his collegiate career, and it came on a power play from a five-minute Wisconsin major penalty for hitting from behind committed by senior defenseman Mike Vorlicky at 15:30 in the third period.

The Buckeyes were one-for-four on the power play on the night.

Ohio State looks to continue its three-game winning streak when it rounds out the series against Wisconsin Saturday at 5 p.m. The game will be streamed live on BTN+.