(UW ATHLETICS) COLUMBUS, Ohio – Despite heading into the third period with a 2-1 lead, the Wisconsin men’s hockey team fell, 3-2, in overtime to the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday night at Nationwide Arena.
The Badgers and Buckeyes. tied 1-1 in their best-of-three Big Ten tournament quarterfinals series, look to Game 3 tomorrow, March 9, at 6 p.m. CT. The winner will advance to the 2025 Big Ten Tournament semifinals next weekend.
Wisconsin (13-20-3) got on the board first at 16:09 of the first period when Joe Palodichuk scored on the power play. Kyle Kukkonen doubled UW’s lead at 6:19 of the second frame. Ohio State (22-12-2) made it a 2-1 game at 16:57 of the second period before scoring again at 18:31 of the third frame to send the game to overtime with both teams tied at two. The Buckeyes scored 7:30 into the extra time to take a 3-2 win and force a third and deciding quarterfinal game.
How it Happened
Wisconsin opened the scoring on the power play at 16:09 of the first period. From the Badgers’ blue line, junior defenseman Ben Dexheimer passed back to sophomore defenseman Palodichuk, who rushed the puck to center ice before passing to his left to find sophomore forward Owen Mehlenbacher at the Buckeyes’ blue line. Mehlenbacher then skated into the zone before making a defensive play and sending the puck along the left boards to Palodichuk. The defenseman rushed to the bottom of the left face off circle and took a sharp-angle shot to put home his first goal of the year.
The Badgers made it a 2-0 game at 6:19 of the second frame. Palodichuk sent a long and high pass from the left side of the UW zone up to graduate student forward Cody Laskosky at the OSU blue line. Laskosky then rushed up the ice with junior forward Kukkonen to his left to create a 2-on-0 chance. Laskosky passed to Kukkonen, who fired a shot home to record his second goal of the series.
OSU got on the board at 16:57 of the second when Jake Rozzi beat UW goaltender Tommy Scarfone on a scramble.
The game remained 2-1 until 1:29 left in regulation when Gunnarwolfe Fontaine scored an extra-attacker goal for the Buckeyes to send the game to overtime.
Riley Thompson got credit for the game-winning goal for OSU, 7:30 into the extra time.
Wisconsin went 1-for-1 on the power play and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill. UW finished the contest with a 41-33 deficit in shots on goal.
Notes to know:
– Joe Palodichuk scored his first goal of the season tonight
– This is the second year in a row that the Badgers and Buckeyes Big Ten tournament quarterfinal series has gone to a third game. Last year, OSU won game won, 3-1, before the Badgers won game two, 4-2, to force a third game, which Ohio State won with a 3-1 final score
– The Badgers have been perfect on the penalty kill so far this weekend, killing off five of five OSU power plays
Up Next: The Badgers play Game 3 of the best-of-three Big Ten tournament quarterfinals against Ohio State on Sunday, March 9, at 6 p.m. CT.
