Men's Hockey
Buckeye Garner Road Split with Western Michigan to Remain
Atop CCHA Standings
By Paula C. Weston
After beginning the season 4-0 in league play, the Buckeyes
dropped their opener to Western Michigan, 6-3, in Kalamazoo but rebounded
for the Saturday win, 5-2, to earn the road split.
For Ohio State (5-3-0, 5-1-0 CCHA), the two points were enough to
remain in first place in Central Collegiate Hockey Association play.
Senior captain J.B. Bittner had two goals and two assists in the
weekend, including Saturday's game-winner.
Junior Dan Knapp and freshman Johann Kroll each had a goal and an
assist, and sophomore Andrew Schembri and freshman Domenic Maiani
had two helpers apiece.
Rookie John Dingle netted his first collegiate goal, an empty-netter
in the win.
Junior Dave Caruso made 26 saves in each contest, giving him 51 on
the weekend and improving his record to 5-2-0.
The Broncos and Buckeyes exchanged explosive third periods on the
weekend, with each team registering four unanswered goals in the final
stanza of its win.
Bronco junior Daniel Bellissimo earned his first career hat trick
in the 6-3 decision, scoring on the power play, shorthanded, and with
the empty net.
In the Buckeye loss, junior Rod Pelley's unassisted goal put the
Buckeyes ahead 1-0 at 11:59 in the first, after he stole the puck
in the Bronco zone and one-timed the puck past WMU goaltender Daniel
Bellissimo, the younger brother of Vince.
The elder Bellissimo answered with two goals in the first half of
the second period to give the Broncos a 2-1 lead, on the power play
at 7:43 and shorthanded at 9:48.
The shorthanded goal was the first allowed by the Buckeyes this season.
Bittner knotted the game 2-2 at 14:10, picking up Knapp's rebound.
Kroll gave the Bucks their second lead of the game at 1:04 in the
third, assisted by Schembri and Sean Collins, but the Broncos came
back with their four unanswered to win the game.
Brent Walton tied it 3-3 at 7:39 on the power play, Jeff Pierce netted
the game-winner - a rebounded shot - at 10:46, Brian Bicek made it
5-3 at 13:47, and Bellissimo's third goal of the game at 17:24 put
the game away for good. Walton passed to Bellissimo on that final
goal to give his teammate the hat trick.
Daniel Bellissimo had 25 saves on the game.
The Buckeyes were 0-for-9 on the power play while the Broncos were
2-for-8.
The Broncos outshot the Buckeyes 32-28.
The Bucks opened the scoring first in the nightcap, but found themselves
playing from behind again to earn the win.
Knapp made it 1-0 at 16:36 in the first, taking a drop pass at the
top of the slot from Bittner and firing five-hole. The puck hit Daniel
Bellissimo before trickling through to give OSU the lead after one.
The only scoring in the second was Walton's second of the weekend
series for WMU, on the power play at 18:04. Buckeye defenseman Nate
Guenin tried to tie up the puck but broke his stick on the play, giving
Walton the chance to shoot. The junior top-shelfed it over the glove
of Caruso, just after the Buckeyes had successfully killed off a five-on-three
Bronco power play.
The score was tied 1-1 after two.
Pat Dwyer put the Broncos ahead 2-1 at 10:09 in the third with his
power-play goal, but the Buckeyes answered with two power-play goals
scored less than a minute apart and two empty-netters to win 5-2.
At 12:55, with less than 20 seconds remaining on a five-on-three advantage,
McIlvane tied the game with his fourth goal of the year. Skating five-on-four
48 seconds later, Bittner put one past Bellissimo on the glove side.
The captain took the puck in the chest from Matt Waddell, dropped
it to the ice, spun, shot, and scored for the game-winning goal.
Bryce Anderson with an empty-net goal made it 4-2 at 19:32, and Dingle
made it 5-2 at 19:59.
The Buckeyes were 2-for-8 on the power play, the Broncos 1-for-9.
Bellissimo had 21 saves in the loss. The Broncos again outshot the
Buckeyes 28-26.
Ohio State returns home for a four-game home stand, beginning with
two against nonconference opponent Sacred Heart Nov. 5-6.
The puck drops at 7:05 p.m. in the Schott for those games.
Notes
Scoring in both games of the weekend, Knapp extends his point streak
to seven games.
Pelley's goal-scoring streak was snapped at six games.
Pelley netted an unassisted marker in the loss, but was held to no
points in the win.
Kroll's goal was also his first as a Buckeye. Only two freshmen skaters
- defenseman John DeSantis and forward Zach Pelletier - have yet to
score a goal. DeSantis has an assist, but Pelletier has played just
one of eight games this season and remains without a point.
Bellissimo's power-play goal in the first game was the first allowed
by OSU in 26 attempts.
The Buckeyes are now 5-1-0 against clustermates this season, having
swept Ferris State and Miami, and split with Western Michigan.
OSU won't face those clustermates again until the second half of
the season, beginning with FSU for the first series of the new year,
and ending the season with a home-and-home series against Miami.
The series with FSU and WMU - scheduled for the end of January -
will both be played at home.
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