By @MichaelCaples –
The Michigan Wolverines took the Ohio State Buckeyes to overtime Saturday night in Columbus.
They will return to Ann Arbor still without a win against their rivals from Ohio.
Matthew Weis beat Hayden Lavigne less than a minute into overtime to give the Buckeyes a victory in a one-game Big Ten semifinal match-up – the fifth win of the season for Ohio State against the Wolverines.
The good news for the Wolverines is that their impressive run in the second half of the NCAA season has, in all estimates, set themselves up for a NCAA Tournament appearance.
According to the PairWise Rankings calculator on USCHO.com (the PairWise is used to determine the NCAA Tournament field outside of the teams that secure spots via conference championships), the Wolverines were at No. 8 prior to the conclusion of tonight’s contest. Ohio State is No. 5, so that shouldn’t hurt the Wolverines’ position moving forward.
The NCAA Tournament field will be announced on Sunday, Mar. 18 at noon on ESPNU.
Cooper Marody scored both of the Wolverines’ goals Saturday, bringing the game to a 1-1 tie and then a 2-2 tie.
Goal 1:
CLIP: Marody from the ground to even it up at one apiece 11:16 into the second period! #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/gZsHqaOTMI
— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) March 11, 2018
Goal 2:
CLIP: Marody with the Spin-O-Rama to tie it up on the power play 7:27 into the third period! #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/Ey9WL3B4gP
— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) March 11, 2018
Dearborn native Dakota Joshua scored the Buckeyes’ second goal of the game, and he served as the primary screen of Lavigne for their first.
Here’s the game-winning goal:
Buckeyes WIN!
Ohio State with a 3-2 OT WIN over the Wolverines in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals!
Ohio State is moving on to the Big Ten Championship game! pic.twitter.com/t1hJ3v2z0Z
— Ohio State M Hockey (@OhioState_MHKY) March 11, 2018