Wisconsin Badgers
Ohio State
Heartbreak: Badgers can't complete comeback bid against OSU
February 14, 2014 | Men's Hockey
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| Feb. 14, 2014
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Wisconsin men’s hockey team just can’t seem to catch a break on Valentine’s Day. Coming into Friday’s matchup with Ohio State, UW’s all-time record on the holiday stood at an eerie 2-14-1. Despite pulling within a goal in the third period, the Badgers (16-9-2, 7-5-1 B1G) couldn’t complete the comeback, falling to OSU, 2-1.
The first period proved to be UW’s undoing, as Ohio State (15-9-3, 5-5-3 B1G) surged to a 2-0 lead behind goals from Tyler Lundey and Darik Angeli. Though the Badgers controlled the action for the final two periods and pulled within a goal in the third period thanks to Michael Mersch (Park Ridge, Ill.), the hole proved to be too deep to get out of.
OSU goalie Christian Frey was a reason the Badgers’ comeback bid was thwarted, as the freshman goaltender once again limited Wisconsin to a single goal. He made 29 saves on 30 shots after making 36 saves on 37 shots against the Badgers in Madison on Jan. 25.
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This time, he got plenty of help from the pipes, as the Badgers hit the posts on four attempts.
Lundey got the scoring started just 2:08 into the game, and Angeli matched him with a goal of his own with 5:35 remaining in the first period. The score came off a Wisconsin turnover in the defensive zone, with Lundey and Angeli getting a handful of shots off from in close against Joel Rumpel (Swift Current, Saskatchewan) before Angeli finally found the back of the net.
Mersch cut the lead in half 3:42 into the final period, beating Frey from the slot. The senior’s initial offering was blocked by a Buckeye defenseman, but he regained possession and lit the lamp with a sliding attempt.
The Badgers wouldn’t come any closer, despite a few good looks down the stretch.
Both teams struggled on the power play, with the Badgers going 0-3 and Buckeyes failing to score in four chances.
Rumpel finished with 28 saves on 30 Ohio State offerings.
Wisconsin gets a chance to salvage a split when it returns to the ice at 7 p.m. (CT) on Saturday in a game that will be televised live on NBC Sports Network.
