Ohio State Men's Hockey

The Ohio State men’s hockey team kicked off their 2024 season with a hard-fought series against American International (AIC) in Value City Arena. The weekend opener on Friday ended in a thrilling 3-3 overtime tie, while the Buckeyes rebounded with a 5-2 victory on Saturday, closing the series with a 1-0-1 record. These two games marked the first-ever meetings between the two programs.

Friday’s 3-3 Overtime Tie

In the opener, Ohio State came out strong, outshooting AIC 16-6 in the first period. Freshman James Hong found the back of the net with just four seconds left in the period, giving the Buckeyes a 1-0 lead. Sophomore defenseman Nathan McBrayer extended that lead early in the second period, scoring his first career goal off a deflection.

However, AIC answered back with two goals in just under two minutes in the third period, taking a 3-2 lead. With less than a minute remaining, Buckeye forward Max Montes tied the game with a clutch extra-attacker goal, assisted by Gunnarwolfe Fontaine and Aiden Hansen-Bukata. The game headed to overtime, where Ohio State appeared to win on a Fontaine goal, but it was overturned on an offside challenge. In the final moments of overtime, Buckeye goalie Logan Terness came up huge, stopping a penalty shot to preserve the tie.

Despite the tie, AIC won the exhibition shootout 2-1 in five rounds. Terness ended the game with 19 saves, and the Buckeyes outshot AIC 50-22 overall.

Saturday’s 5-2 Buckeye Victory

In the second game, Ohio State took control early and never looked back. Sophomore Ryan Gordon opened the scoring midway through the first period after a misplay by the AIC goalie. Just 31 seconds later, AIC responded with a goal of their own, but the Buckeyes regained the lead when Riley Thompson knocked in a goal for his first in the Scarlet and Gray.

Ohio State extended its lead with two quick goals in the second period. Patrick Guzzo scored just 20 seconds into the frame, and Montes added another goal at 4:07 to make it 4-1. AIC’s Josh Barnes scored on a power play early in the third, but the Buckeyes sealed the win with a shorthanded empty-net goal from Damien Carfagna in the closing seconds.

Goalie Kristoffer Eberly made 26 saves to secure the win, with the Buckeyes finishing the game with a 27-26 edge in shots on goal. Ohio State’s penalty kill unit came up big, going 4-for-5 on the night.

Up Next

With a successful opening weekend under their belt, Ohio State will now turn their attention to Big Ten play as they head on the road to face No. 9 Wisconsin. The two-game series begins Friday at 8 p.m. ET in Madison, with the games available on B1G+ and Ohio State Radio.