COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State opened Big Ten play with the biggest win of its young season on Saturday, October 31, defeating No. 1-ranked and previously undefeated Michigan 5-2 at the Schottenstein Center, according to Ohio State Athletics.
After a scoreless first period, the Buckeyes (3-4, 1-0 Big Ten) took control in the second. Jake Karabela scored on the power play to open the scoring, and Evan Jardine doubled the lead just over three minutes later, Ohio State Athletics reported. Michigan captain Garrett Schifsky cut the deficit to 2-1 at 13:58 of the second, redirecting a point shot from Henry Mews, according to Michigan Athletics.
Michigan (7-1, 0-1 Big Ten) had won the previous six meetings between the rivals, and the Wolverines entered the night as the nation’s top-ranked team. Ohio State Athletics noted the win was the Buckeyes’ first over a No. 1 team since a road victory at Michigan State on February 27.
The Buckeyes stretched the lead to 3-1 midway through the third period on a goal off an odd-man rush, Michigan Athletics reported. Michigan pulled goaltender Jack Ivankovic with under five minutes left and scored with the extra attacker at 16:52 to pull within 3-2, but Sam Deckhut and James Hong scored into the empty net in the final 1:31 to close out the win, according to Ohio State Athletics.
Freshman goaltender Jakub Milota made 26 saves for Ohio State, which outshot Michigan 32-28 and blocked 13 Wolverine shot attempts, Ohio State Athletics reported. Ivankovic recorded 27 saves for Michigan. The loss also ended a 13-game point streak for Michigan’s Jayden Perron, the NCAA scoring leader, according to Michigan Athletics.
Five different Buckeyes scored in the game, and Felix Caron provided a pair of assists, Eleven Warriors reported in its recap of the upset.
What happens next: the rivals finish the weekend series at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, November 1, at the Schottenstein Center, where Ohio State Athletics said the game is a Scarlet Out, with a scarlet towel giveaway for the first 2,000 fans. A second straight win over Michigan would give the Buckeyes a sweep of the nation’s top team to open conference play.
Photo: JonRidinger, CC BY-SA 4.0