COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 4 Wisconsin men's hockey team couldn't hang on to a 2-1 lead as it fell to Ohio State, 3-2, in overtime on Friday night at Value City Arena.
The game remained scoreless until Wisconsin (22-7-2, 13-5-1 Big Ten) lit the lamp five minutes, 40 seconds into the third period. Ohio State (10-15-4, 2-15-2 Big Ten) made it a 1-1 game before the Badgers quickly took back the lead. The Buckeyes stayed resilient, forcing overtime with a late third-period, extra-attacker goal and took home the victory after tallying the game-winner with 22 seconds left in extra time.
The first and second periods were quiet with neither team finding the back of the net. The Badgers had two power-play chances in the opening frame but were unable to convert on any scoring opportunities as we skated into the third tied at zero. UW generated quality chances in the second frame, including an Owen Mehlenbacher breakaway and a William Whitelaw individual effort that hit the post.
Sophomore forward Jack Horbach broke the silence 5:40 into the third period. Senior forward David Silye passed from behind the left side of Ohio State's blue line and into the offensive zone. Freshman forward William Whitelaw picked up the puck near the right side boards and skated toward the net before taking a shot. His shot hit the post and rebounded to the front of Ohio State goaltender Logan Terness. Horbach was first to the rebound and flicked the puck into a wide-open net for his sixth goal of the season.
The Buckeyes evened it up with 5:52 left in the frame on a shot from Michael Gildon.
Wisconsin took back its lead 2:18 later. Sophomore defenseman
Ben Dexheimer gained possession of the puck in his defensive zone and rushed up the ice with freshman forward
Sawyer Scholl on a two-on-one. Dexheimer took a shot and beat Terness glove side to make it a 2-1 game.
With 1:38 left in regulation, Stephan Halliday capitalized after the Buckeyes pulled their goalie for an extra attacker to send the game to overtime tied at two.
Davis Burnside scored the overtime-winning goal for Ohio State with 22 seconds left in the extra time.
Wisconsin went 0-for-2 on the power play and 2-for-2 on the penalty kill, including a five-minute major in the third period. UW finished the contest with a 30-23 advantage in shots on goal.
Notes to know:
- Wisconsin is 2-2-2 in overtime this season
- With 42 Big Ten points, the Badgers climb to within four points of Michigan State and have one game in hand
Up Next: The Badgers continue their series at Ohio State on Saturday, Feb. 17. The game begins at 3:30 p.m. and airs on the Big Ten Network. Audio play-by-play airs on the Badgers Radio network, including 1310 WIBA in the Madison area. It also airs on the Badgers app and The Varsity Network app. Follow along on X/Twitter and Instagram @BadgerMHockey.
