Told you it would be an exciting game. The hockey Buckeyes staged a big second period rally. Nick Schilkey reached a career milestone and Dave Gust netted his first career hat trick as the Bucks defeated Connecticut.

scoring by period 1 2 3 final Connecticut 1 3 0 4 No. 14 Ohio State 2 3 2 7

Ohio State continued its pattern of scoring first. The fact that a Buckeye provided the game’s opening goal was not remarkable, but the specific player as well as the method of delivery was rather unusual. Senior defenseman Josh Healey netted a shorthanded tally midway through the first period. It was his first goal of the season and the first shorty of his Buckeye career.

pd time buckeye goal scorers (assists) 1 9:37 SH - Josh Healey (John Wiitala) 1 18:52 Dave Gust (Nick Schilkey, Josh Healey) 2 14:08 Dave Gust (Matt Weis, Sasha Larocque) 2 14:27 Mason Jobst (Tanner Laczynski, Nick Schilkey) 2 15:42 PP - Nick Schilkey (Matt Weis, Tanner Laczynski) 3 16:55 PP - Dave Gust (Janik Moser, Mason Jobst) 3 19:49 EN - Luke Stork (unassisted)

Late in the frame the Bucks opened the door for the Huskies. Concurrent penalties against Ohio State gave Connecticut a full two minute two-man advantage. The Buckeye defenders dug in but were unable to completely thwart the Huskies. Tage Thompson tied the game.

Less than a minute later, with just 68 seconds remaining in the period, OSU regained its lead. Nick Schilkey fed Dave Gust for the go ahead goal. The assist was Schilkey’s third of the year and career point No. 100 for the Buckeye captain. The home team held a slim 2-1 lead at the first break.

The Huskies stormed out of the intermission. Johnny Austin netted the equalizer at the 3:54 mark of the second period. Moments later Maxim Letunov capitalized on a power play opportunity to give Connecticut a 3-2 lead. Brian Morgan kept the Huskies rolling with the team’s third score of the stanza.

But the Buckeyes rallied in dramatic fashion. In less than two minutes Ohio State lit the lamp three times and reclaimed the lead. Gust and Mason Jobst struck 19 seconds apart to knot the score at four all. Then Schilkey sniped a power play goal past Connecticut netminder Adam Huska, putting OSU up 5-4.

Huska and Buckeye goalie Christian Frey traded saves throughout the third period. Neither side flinched until Ohio State went on its sixth power play of the game. Gust hammered home his third goal of the night, completing his first career hat trick. Luke Stork capped the scoring with an empty netter to bring the final score to 7-4 in favor of the Scarlet and Gray.

With the win Ohio State improves to 6-1-3 on the season. Gust (3-0--3) and Schilkey (1-2--3) led the Bucks with three points each. Frey made 21 saves in his first start since October 8th.

The teams reconvene at the Schott tomorrow afternoon. The game is scheduled for a 4pm ET start. Fans not attending the game can follow along on the radio at 1460 AM or stream it live online with a Buckeye Vision subscription.

Sauve, Buckeye Women Rack Third Straight Shutout

For the third consecutive game the women’s hockey Buckeyes blanked their opponent. Ohio State downed St. Cloud State this afternoon by a final score of 3-0. The win brings the Bucks’ overall record to 6-6-1.

scoring by period 1 2 3 final Ohio State 0 2 1 3 St. Cloud State 0 0 0 0

Crystal Sorem started the scoring early in the second period. The goal was not only the Buckeyes’ first of the game. It was also the first collegiate tally for the freshman forward. Samantha Bouley chipped in a goal in the middle frame as well. Jincy Dunne potted an empty netter for good measure and the Bucks cruised to victory over the Huskies.

Goaltender Kassidy Sauve stopped all 20 shots that she faced. This is the fourth goose egg of the season for the red-shirt sophomore. She has not allowed a goal in her last 184:35 of ice time.

The Buckeyes and Huskies conclude their series tomorrow afternoon. The opening faceoff is set for 2pm ET. The game is available to stream online via St. Cloud for a fee.