COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Wisconsin men's hockey team fell in the weekend opener to No. 6 Ohio State as the Buckeyes rallied in the third period to defeat the Badgers, 6-2.
 
Wisconsin (14-16-4, 8-12-3-1 Big Ten) led heading into the final frame, but Ohio State (20-8-5, 13-8-2-1 Big Ten) scored five unanswered goal in the third period to best the Badgers.
 
The Badgers took the 1-0 lead late in the first after senior Cameron Hughes won a faceoff in the Buckeye zone back to freshman defender Wyatt Kalynuk. Kalynuk's slapshot from the point was initially stopped by OSU goaltender Sean Romeo, but freshman Linus Weissbach charged to the net and backhanded the rebound home.
 
Ohio State tied the game at one apiece at the 4:52 mark of the second period, capitalizing just after a Wisconsin penalty expired.
 
Wisconsin regained the lead before heading back to the locker room after a shot by junior Matthew Freytag bounced off the post and then off the back of Romeo at the 16:26 mark of the second stanza, making the game 2-1 in favor of UW.
 
Ohio State took control in the third period by scoring two early goals, one on the man-advantage, before adding three more tallies for a 6-2 final.
 
Senior goaltender Kyle Hayton ended the night with 28 saves.
 
 
Notes to Know
-The Badgers outshot OSU 15-6 in period one but were bested 12-11 and 16-12 in the second and third periods, respectively. UW led total shots on goal, 38-34.
-The Badgers went 0-for-3 on the power play against the top penalty killing unit in the nation while killing off four of the five OSU advantages.
- Matthew Freytag scored his seventh goal of the season, one shy of his career high.
 
 
Straight From the Rink
Associate Head Coach Mark Osiecki
On Wisconsin's second goal
"We were feeling really good about how the guys were prepared, how they came out and played on the road. We were happy, the way we started. I think the guys were."
 
On the turning point
"The difference was the two penalties (against the Badgers at the end of the second period). Major difference. If you want to call it, that's the turning point.
 
"You just can't get frustrated and take those types of penalties. It gives their skilled guys a chance to go. That was the difference."
 
On Wisconsin's play in the third period
"The way we played at the end, that's not the way we normally play. That's not Wisconsin hockey. I think that's frustration. Certainly you don't want to see that though."
 
Senior forward Ryan Wagner
On the turning point
"It started with the penalties. They capitalized, which has been a big part of this year with changing of momentum. I think after that we kind of just broke down. Everyone tried to do it themselves or look for someone else to do it."
 
On seeing this breakdown before
"Our goal is to be playing our best hockey come next week. I think we can do it. We just have to learn to play a full 60 minutes and I think we need to just find ways to win. The games are going to get tougher and tougher and they're going to be closer and closer. We have to look at the freshmen to seniors, to goalies and defensemen, to all chip in and get the job done."
 
Junior defenseman Peter Tischke
On the first two periods
"I thought we played unbelievable in the first two periods. We were tracking hard, having good swing-ins and quick transitions. I thought we dominated them, they had six shots in the first period. We just need to learn to carry that over to the third period. We can't get down on ourselves."
 
On the turning point
"We kind of shot ourselves in the foot with a 5-on-3 penalty. We were able to kill off the first but we weren't able to kill off the second part. Since then we got down on ourselves, didn't believe in ourselves, which I think played a huge part in why we didn't have success and were able to get the punch back that we needed."
 
Senior goaltender Kyle Hayton
On the third period
"We just stopped playing our game. We didn't play well in the third and didn't stick to our game plan, took too many penalties and got undisciplined."
 
On the turning point
"Hockey is a very mental game. I don't know if we just took it off, I couldn't tell you. It's happened a few times here, where we go in with a lead and blow it. We just have to play smarter hockey and string together a full 60 minutes. We can't just play 40 minutes and expect to win. Every team in this league, especially Ohio State, they're a good team."
 
 
Up Next
Wisconsin plays its final regular-season game of 2017-18 on Saturday night in the series finale with the Buckeyes. The 6 p.m. CT puck drop will be broadcast on WIBA 1310 and streamed on BTN Plus.