After playing three solid periods of hockey Friday night against the Northern Michigan Wildcats, yet being shutout for their efforts, it looked as if another good effort Saturday evening might result in another frustrating loss for the Buckeyes when they entered the final four minutes of play down 2-1. But instead of more frustration, OSU managed to find a way to win as they have few times this season when trailing late.

It all began with one of OSU’s best three-period games Friday night in Value City Arena. The Buckeyes came out skating and hitting as hard as they have all season, but despite amassing a lopsided shot advantage, they couldn’t get a single puck past Wildcat netminder Brian Stewart. The tall, agile goalie came up with one great save after another as the Buckeyes constantly kept the pressure on. At the other end of the rink, OSU goalie Joseph Palmer was just as stingy until NMU’s Matt Siddall found the net through traffic just past the halfway point of the second period. Undaunted, the Bucks continued pressuring the wildcats in their own end firing shot after shot at Stewart - all to no avail. Each team traded disallowed goals, but the 1-0 score stood until NMU netted an empty net goal by Mark Oliver, his second point on the night, to close out the scoring at 19:09. The final tally stood Wildcats 2, OSU 0. The barrage of shots, 46 in all, by the Buckeyes told a tale of thorough territorial advantage, but the bottom line was the ability of the Wildcats to score, while the Buckeyes could not.

The win was NMU’s first ever in Value City Arena, and kept their chances alive to secure home ice for the first round of the CCHA conference playoffs. OSU, on the other hand, continued to lose at home, which has been a recurring trend throughout the season.

The Buckeyes maintained their high level of intensity Saturday night in front of one of the largest crowds of the season – 8,099. This time, they got an early reward for their strong play when freshman Peter Boyd scored on a nice wrap-around at 19:38 of the first period with assists from defensemen Johann Kroll and Corey Toy. Unlike so many other times in recent seasons when the Buckeyes have been victimized by late goals in a period, the hockey gods were smiling on OSU this time.

With the one goal advantage, the Buckeyes continued to skate well in the second period, but NMU scored twice, Gregor Hanson at 12:01, and Mark Oliver on a power play at 16:06 to take a 2-1 lead into the locker room at the second intermission. When the Buckeyes failed to exhibit the same jump through the first half of the third period, it appeared that they were heading for the same old, same old. But just when hope seemed lost, Peter Boyd lit the lamp again at 16:08 on a power play off assists from Nick Biondo and Shane Sims. The goal energized the Buckeyes and their fans, who strapped themselves in for the wild ride to the finish that would ensue on this night featuring race cars and a racing theme.

Despite a determined effort by the Buckeyes, the minutes dwindled down until only a few precious seconds remained. When freshman John Albert gained control of the puck along the boards in the Wildcats’ end, it seemed that it was too late to do any good. But Albert quickly fired the puck toward the Wildcats’ goal. Just at that moment, team leader in goals, Tommy Goebel, flashed by from behind the net and managed to redirect the puck into the net and past the startled NMU netminder. Simultaneous with the puck entering the net, the buzzer sounded the end of the regulation. The Buckeye players and fans collectively held their breath as the referee skated to the scorer’s table to check the replay to determine if time had expired before the puck crossed the goal line. After several minutes, that seemed like an eternity, the referee stepped back on the ice and signaled that the goal was good. Fans exploded into cheers and Buckeye players piled on Goebel in a wild celebration. In a season in which very little has gone right for the Bucks, they finally had something to feel good about. Best of all, was the fact that Tommy Goebel scored the winning goal on Senior Night to give all the Buckeye seniors something that they will surely remember for years to come.

The Buckeyes hit the road now for the remainder of the season except for a home game on February 26th against in-state rival, and nationally number 2 ranked Miami University. That game, despite being on a Tuesday night, should be well attended because of the intensity of the growing rivalry. Who knows, maybe OSU can skate into the CCHA playoffs with a little momentum after all.

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