No. 17 Ohio State Rallies to Defeat Badgers, 5-3 – Ohio State Buckeyes
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 17 Ohio State men’s hockey team scored the game’s final three goals to come from behind and defeat Wisconsin, 5-3, Saturday in game one of a Big Ten series. Ohio State trailed 3-2 after the second but Grant Gabriele tied the game, Georgii Merkulov put Ohio State ahead and Joe Dunlap sealed the win with an empty net goal
The Buckeyes move their winning streak to six and improve to 15-6 on the year, with a 7-4 record in Big Ten play.
Ohio State and Wisconsin (6-13-2, 3-8-0-1-1-0 B1G) will close the weekend series at 4 p.m. ET Sunday. The game will be televised by Bally Sports Wisconsin, with the coverage picked by Bally Sports Great Lakes and streamed through BallySports.com and the Bally Sports app and Big Ten Plus. Ohio State Radio will also carry the action.
The Short Story
Wisconsin scored the only goal of the first period, despite an early major power play for the Buckeyes. In the second, Ohio State tallied twice in 3:13 to take a 2-1 lead, with Cam Thiesing converting at 2:26 and Gustaf Westlund scoring on the power play at 5:39. Wisconsin notched the next two, with a 5-on-3 power play goal at 14:41 and even strength score at 17:06, for a 3-2 lead through 40 minutes.
Ohio State continued its third period dominance, outscoring the Badgers 3-0 to come from behind and win. Grant Gabriele tied the game at 6:52 and Georgii Merkulov put the Buckeyes ahead at 14:21. Joe Dunlap clinched the victory with 38 seconds left, scoring with the net empty.
Jakub Dobeš had 33 saves for the Buckeyes, picking up his 14th win this season. James Marooney had a career-high two assists and points vs. the Badgers, while Thiesing added an assist for a two-point night. Ohio State was 1-for-2 on the power play and 4-for-5 on the penalty kill. Merkulov leads the Buckeyes with 10 goals and 20 points.
The Buckeyes have outscored their opponents 42-13 in the third period this season and have won five games when trailing entering the third stanza.
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.@OhioStateMHKY tally a three-goal period to come from behind and win 5-2.
CC: @JoeDunlap21 pic.twitter.com/6obFQFps3y
— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) January 9, 2022
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