No. 12 Buckeyes Open 2023 with 3-1 Win over No. 14/13 Spartans – Ohio State Buckeyes

Box Score

COLUMBUS, Ohio – With a goal in each period, the No. 12 Ohio State men’s hockey defeated No. 14/13 Michigan State, 3-1, Friday in its first game of the second half of the season. Tate Singleton opened the scoring less than two minutes into the game and Stephen Halliday’s second-period power play goal pushed the Buckeye lead to 2-0 through 40 minutes. The Spartans made it a one-goal game midway through the third before Joe Dunlap sealed the win with an empty net goal in the final minute. Jakub Dobes made 27 saves in the Buckeye net and Mason Lohrei had two assists.

Ohio State, which has won its last four games, is now 13-7-1 on the year and 6-5-0-0-0-0 in Big Ten play, while the Spartans are 12-10-1 and 6-6-1-0-0-1 in the B1G.

The teams will close the weekend and regular season series at 4 p.m. Saturday in Value City Arena. The game will be televised by BTN and on Ohio State Radio. Saturday is Dog Day at the game. To bring a dog into the arena, game tickets are required for both the human and the dog. All dog+human tickets are sold out. Single-game and group tickets and mini plans are all on sale now, with more information on OhioStateBuckeyes.com/tickets. Parking is free for all home games in VCA.

The Short Story

• At 1:53 of the first period Tate Singleton put the Buckeyes on the board, scoring from the high slot off a Davis Burnside assist, with CJ Regula picking up the second helper.
• Each team had 11 shots in the opening 20 minutes. Five of the Spartans’ shots came on their two power play chances.
• The only goal of the second period came with less than two minutes remaining. With Ohio State on a 4-on-3 power play, a shot from Stephen Halliday went off a Spartan defender and past the goalie for a 2-0 Buckeye lead. Mason Lohrei and Jake Wise assisted on the tally, Halliday’s sixth of the year.
• Ohio State carried play for much of the second and outshot the Spartans, 20-8. The Buckeyes had the only power play chances in the second.
• The Spartans drew within one on a Jesse Tucker goal at 9:39 of the third.
• Michigan State pulled its goalie with 1:59 remaining. The Buckeyes limited the Spartans to just two shot attempts – with a block and a save – through the rest of the game.
• Joe Dunlap clinched the victory with an empty net goal at 19:44. Mason Lohrei and Cole McWard combined to clear the puck up the ice and Dunlap won the race down the right wing, skating alone to the net.
• MSU had the shot edge in the third, 9-6, and there were…