No. 13 Wisconsin men’s hockey (18-10-2, 11-9-0 Big Ten) was unable to keep their winning streak alive last weekend with a split against Ohio State (11-16-1, 7-11-0 Big Ten), winning 4-2 on Friday before losing 3-2 on Saturday.
Wisconsin came into the series fresh off a sweep vs. Notre Dame, a series in which the Badgers rolled offensively but had to fight until the end to hold their leads. Ohio State, meanwhile, entered this series off a sweep at Minnesota.
Against Ohio State, the Badgers once again let their leads slip away from them, resulting in another loss to a team they should have beat. With key defensemen Logan Hensler and Zach Schulz missing from the lineup, Wisconsin knew they needed to maintain puck possession and consistent offensive pressure, and while they did for most of the series, the Badgers were ultimately unable to pick up their second straight sweep.
Morrissey dialed in
After a rough series against Notre Dame, freshman goaltender Daniel Hauser started in net for Wisconsin on Friday. After sophomore Eli Pulver also struggled in last weekend’s series, Wisconsin head coach Mike Hastings went back to Hauser.
Ohio State, known for rotating their goaltenders, started Sam Hillebrandt at goalie.
The first period started quickly, with OSU dominating the puck for the first five minutes.
Freshman forward Grady Deering scored his sixth goal of the season 5:38 into the game. A left circle shot from sophomore defenseman Weston Knox put a bouncing puck in netminder Hillebrandt’s crease. Deering then chipped it in to put Wisconsin up 1-0.
Senior forward Simon Tassy wristed in the Badgers’ second goal of the game 18 seconds later off a backhand pass from freshman forward Vasily Zelenov.
Up 2-0 early in the first period, Wisconsin only put two shots on goal in the next 10 minutes. With 4:45 to go, Hastings pulled Hauser for an extra skater on the delayed OSU penalty.
Senior forward Tyson Dyck was sent to the box for two minutes for interference on the power play for just over a minute. The Badgers didn’t manage another shot during four-on-four play, but killed OSU’s power play a minute later.
With six seconds remaining in the first period, Wisconsin went back on the power play as OSU was called for a slashing penalty.
The Badgers put one shot on net during their power play to start the second period. A minute later, OSU pulled Hillebrandt for a delayed roughing penalty on freshman defenseman Luke Osburn.
Wisconsin successfully killed the Buckeye’s second power play and went back on five-on-five hockey energized.
Taking the puck up the middle of the ice, sophomore forward Gavin Morrissey passed to senior forward Christian Fitzgerald in the offensive zone. Fitgerald’s shot bounced off Hillebrandt’s pads and set Morrissey up for Wisconsin to take 3-0 lead five minutes into the second period.
Hauser left the game with 13:34 remaining in the second period after OSU’s Riley Thompson fell on him. Pulver was sent in net for the Badgers as Hauser didn’t return to the series with an upper-body injury.
Wisconsin dominated the puck following the goalie swap. Eight shots on goal weren’t enough to advance the Badgers’ lead, but they went into the third period up 3-0.
With 16:01 to go in the game, Davis Burnside’s shot coasted into the net under a sprawling Pulver to shorten Wisconsin’s lead to 3-1.
The game slowed down before the Badgers went on the power play with 8:33 to go but failed to convert.
An OSU turnover with 4:56 on the clock sent Morrissey on a breakaway. Alone in front of Hillebrandt, Morrissey shot it through his five hole to take back the three-goal lead, making it 4-1 Badgers.
OSU pulled Hillebrandt with 2:42 to go and kept Pulver on his toes. After a few wide shots, Burnside scored his second goal of the night with an extra attacker, but Wisconsin ultimately held off OSU for the win.
Blown leads
OSU ended Wisconsin’s three-game win streak on Saturday, as they took down the Badgers 3-2. Sophomore goaltender Anton Castro backed up Pulver in game two with Hauser inactive.
Kristoffer Eberly, OSU’s primary goaltender, stood between the pipes for the Buckeyes after Hillebrandt’s losing effort Friday. Coming into the weekend, Eberly held a save percentage of .883 and has recorded a total of 401 saves in 17 games played.
The Buckeyes held their own early in the first period. They had a few scoring chances after Zelenov was assessed a two-minute minor for indirect contact to the head, but the Badger defensemen stood strong in front of Pulver.
Taking charge of the game, Tassy was looking for a goal.
With 2:12 left in the first period, Wisconsin went on the power play. As seconds ticked down, Tassy assisted on a redirect to put the Badgers up 1-0 with 25 seconds to go in the period.
Leading by one heading into the second period, the Badgers couldn’t hold on.
3:11 into the period, Pulver was beaten stick side by a quick pass to a one-timer as OSU’s Ryan Gordon tied the game 1-1.
Three minutes later, Wisconsin went on the power play for holding. The Badgers managed three shots on goal, with one from Fitzgerald and two from junior forward Quinn Finley.
A failed power play led to another chance as a Buckeye sat two minutes for roughing. On an aggressive offensive attack, Zelenov picked up the rebounded puck and backhanded it over a sprawling Eberly to put Wisconsin up 2-1 with 9:13 to go in the second period.
The Buckeyes kept control for the remainder of the second period, but Pulver made four saves to keep Wisconsin up 2-1.
OSU had chances early in the third period, taking two more shots on Pulver before tying the game 3:54 into the third when Jake Karabela’s shot slipped under a loose Pulver for a 2-2 game.
With 13:59 remaining, Wisconsin went back on the power play for a high sticking call and recorded zero shots.
The Buckeyes took the lead five seconds after Thomas Weis was released from the box for his high stick. Sloppy play from Osburn in the corner led to a turnover in front of Pulver. OSU’s Gordon then wristed in the leading goal over Pulver’s right shoulder to put the Buckeye’s up 3-2.
With Wisconsin fighting to tie the game, OSU’s Bryce Ingles was assessed a 10 minute penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, but the Badgers didn't go on the power play.
Wisconsin started slipping as the time dwindled down, and even as Hastings pulled Pulver for an extra skater with 2:43 remaining, Eberly remained strong, not letting any Badger shots into the net.
The Badgers recorded another four saves before OSU took the game 3-2.
Still sitting at No. 4 in Big Ten standings, Wisconsin must face two top 10 teams heading into the final four games of the season. The Badgers need to find their footing on the power play and figure out how to hold onto their leads as a championship run is still on the horizon.
Wisconsin faces No. 1 Michigan on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Kohl Center.
