Nathan McBrayer skates towards a puck in the Big Ten Championship game. Credit: Ohio State Athletics
Tied through two periods in Saturday night’s Big Ten Championship game, No. 19 Ohio State looked poised to pull off an upset against the No. 1 ranked Michigan Wolverines.?
In the third, the opportunity quickly vanished behind four unanswered goals.
Despite striking first just eight minutes into the opening period, the Buckeyes fell to the Wolverines 7-3 at the Yost Ice Rink in Ann Arbor. Ohio State becomes the first No. 5 tournament seed to reach the Big Ten championship game.
“You work so hard to get here,” head coach Steve Rohlik said. “I got a great group of guys in there that everyone doubted from day one and they came to work everyday and they proved that we can play with the best teams.”
The Buckeyes set the tone early, leading shots 9-7 in the first period and tied 10-10 in the second, continuously creating offensive pressure. Junior defenseman William Smith scored the first of two special team goals of the night for the Buckeyes, matching the Wolverines through two periods, entering the third period tied at three a piece.
The two remaining goals for the Buckeyes were scored in the second period by freshman forward Jake Karabela at 9:12 and graduate forward Adam Eisele at 16:31.
The Wolverines took the offensive charge scoring three times in four minutes of the third period, and a final point with 3:02 left in the game, allowing the home crowd to erupt, swinging the momentum fully in Michigan’s favor.
The loss signals Ohio State’s fifth fall to the Wolverines this season, its chance to play into the postseason and extending its search for its first Big Ten Tournament championship.?
Rohlik emphasized that it was a hard fought game, but the late breakdown proved costly in a game with postseason implications.
“Unfortunately, you [have] to play 60 minutes and tie a game with 10 minutes to go,” Rohlik said. “Next thing you know you don’t get a chance to play tomorrow.”
Although unhappy with the result, Rohlik said the belief in one another and the team is what counted on the ice.?
“We believed,” he said. “I think that’s the most important thing. I mean, the culture we have here, the guys that have a belief that we can win, I think that’s what’s carried us.”
