Ohio State fought the top-ranked Michigan State Spartans in a heavyweight slugging match Saturday night. The Spartans eventually won the game, and the Big Ten Championship, but the Buckeyes made them earn it the hard way. Ohio State fought so well that you can’t help but be satisfied with their efforts, even if you can’t be with the final score.
Michigan State jumped out to an early 2-0 lead before a Joe Dunlap goal late in the first got Ohio State on the scoreboard.
Buckeyes trail the Spartans 2-1 after the first period.
— Ohio State Men's Hockey (@OhioStateMHKY) March 23, 2025
Joe Dunlap with the Buckeye goal, off a Damien Carfagna pass⬇️ pic.twitter.com/kqTEVeNJtS
Neither team would score in the second and Michigan State would start the scoring in the third, making it 3-1. It looked like the Spartans might finish the Buckeyes off but with less than eight minutes to go, Ohio State fought back. Damien Carfagna made it 3-2.
With less than three minutes to go, Ohio State evened the score when Gunnarwolfe Fontaine scored his 17th goal of the season. This would send the game into overtime.
Gunnarwolfe Fontaine. Game. Tying. Goal.#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/esdNMINcYv
— Ohio State Men's Hockey (@OhioStateMHKY) March 23, 2025
The game was still even after one overtime, so the Buckeyes and the Spartans battled long into a second. The two teams had almost 95 minutes of time on the ice, and it looked like the stalemate would continue until the Spartans got some lucky breaks and ended the game 4-3 in double overtime.
Ohio State has nothing to be ashamed of, though. They were picked to finish last in the Big Ten this season. Instead, Coach Steve Rohlik led them to finish third in the conference, to play in the conference championship game, and now will play in the NCAA Tournament as one of the 16 best teams in college hockey.
The 24-13-2 Buckeyes will play Boston University, which is 21-13-2. That game will be Thursday afternoon in Toledo. The puck will drop at 2:00 PM, and you can catch the game on ESPNU.