No. 11 Ohio State upsets No. 1 Minnesota 6-4 behind Treloar’s two goals

The No. 11 Ohio State men’s ice hockey team controlled the game from start to finish, cruising to a 6-4 win against the No. 1 Golden Gophers Friday at Value City Arena. 

Junior forward Travis Treloar led the way with two goals for the Buckeyes. Treloar highlighted Ohio State’s ability to keep the game simple from the start and possess the puck in Minnesota territory as much as possible.

“I thought, in the beginning, we kind of played simple,” Treloar said. “We tried to possess the pucks down in their zone because they’re not a big fan of playing defense.”

It didn’t take long for the Buckeyes to get on the board. Senior defenseman Dominic Vidoli scored his first goal of the season to put Ohio State up 1-0 with 5:44 left in the first, off an assist by junior forward Michael Gildon. 

The goal came after the Buckeyes killed the Golden Gophers’ only 5-on-4 power play earlier in the period. Treloar talked about the Buckeyes’ ability to minimize damage due to opposing teams’ power plays. 

“Our kill has been pretty good all year long,” Treloar said. “I think it has brought us a lot of energy and a lot of momentum throughout the year.”

Ohio State’s offense exploded in the second period where they scored three goals, while sophomore goalie Jakub Dobeš allowed Minnesota to score twice. After two periods, the Buckeyes led No. 1 Minnesota 4-2. 

To kick off the third period, Treloar scored his second goal of the game only two minutes into the period, pushing the Buckeyes’ lead to 5-2. 

Head coach Steve Rohlik said the key to beating Minnesota was Ohio State’s ability to contain the backside scoring chances for Minnesota.

“You got to worry about the initial guy but it’s the second, third and fourth guy that get in the rush and get down in the scoring area that you got to be aware of,” Rohlik said. “It has been our focus all week, and that’s exactly what we tried to do tonight, is try to eliminate those third and fourth guys.”

Treloar said playing the No. 1 team in the nation gave the Buckeyes an extra boost in the locker room.

“It definitely gives you a little extra boost, but I think our energy level for most games has been pretty good,” Treloar said. “But definitely playing Big Ten, and number one team in the country coming…