DAYTON - The Wisconsin men’s hockey team was unable to come back from an early
deficit, as they fell to Ohio State, 5-3, on Saturday in the
championship game of the Lefty McFadden Invitational
Ohio State got on the board early with two quick goals within the first
five minutes of play, taking a 2-0 lead. The first goal was scored by
Matt Mcllvane at 2:12. Kyle Hood and Tom Fritsche both attempted to slip
the puck past Badger goaltender Shane Connelly, but it was Mcllvane who
found the back of the net. The Buckeyes scored on only their third shot
of the game.
The Buckeyes’ second goal came less than two minutes later, where
freshman Sergio Somma backhanded the puck past Connelly (Cheltenham,
Pa.). The power-play goal came at 3:46, bringing Ohio State’s lead to
2-0.
Wisconsin responded to the Buckeyes’ forceful start with a power-play
goal in the ninth minute of the game. Sophomore Jamie McBain (Faribault,
Minn.) scored his fourth career goal on a pass from freshman Kyle Turris
(New Westminster, B.C.), cutting Ohio State’s lead to 2-1. Buckeye
defenders attacked Turris, which opened up the middle of the ice. Turris
managed to keep the puck alive as he got in a pass to McBain, who
cranked a shot from 25 feet out to score on Ohio State goaltender Joseph
Palmer.
The scoring frenzy continued in the first period, as Ohio State scored
again, bringing its lead to 3-1. Freshman Patrick Shafer scored on his
own rebound, getting the puck past Connelly, who was down from the
initial save. Shafer’s goal came with less than four minutes left in the
first.
Wisconsin was not ready to back down. Connelly made a huge save on an
Ohio State two-on-one, keeping the Badgers within two. The Badgers were
then able to pull within one, thanks to an eighteenth-minute goal by
assistant captain Ben Street. The four-on-four score,
which cut Ohio State’s lead to 3-2, was assisted by freshman Brendan Smith and Turris, his second assist of the game.
Wisconsin entered the locker room, trailing 3-2 at the first
intermission. The Badgers were out-shot 15-to-11 in the opening stanza.
Wisconsin was quick to tie-up the game, as Turris scored his second
career goal in only his second game as a Badger at 2:20. Turris
collected a pass from Turnbull and tucked the puck into the upper corner
of the Ohio State net, over Palmer’s glove. Turris’ goal, which was both
perfectly planned and released, brought the Badgers back 3-3.
Ohio State answered back with a power-play goal by John Dingel with just
1:30 left in the second period. The Buckeyes closed the period with a
4-3 lead. They did not let the Badgers answer back this time, as Ohio
State scored again, six minutes into the third. Corey Elkins capitalized
on a turnover by the Badgers, backhanding in the goal which brought the
Buckeyes up 5-3.
Connelly stopped 25 shots for the Badgers, while Ohio State’s Palmer
stopped 27. Both teams ended with 30 shots on goal.
Wisconsin was charged with seven penalties for 14 minutes in the box.
The Buckeyes had eight penalties, and were two-for-seven on the power
play.