BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — The relentless forecheck, accompanied by shutdown defense and unstoppable breakouts, brought Ohio State one game closer to a Frozen Four appearance as the Buckeyes beat Harvard 8-1 on Friday.
Ohio State dominated from the first puck drop, scoring within the first four minutes to begin its takeover. Forward Cam Thiesing perfectly placed a slap shot over the glove of Harvard goaltender Mitchell Gibson.
Despite several high-danger chances for Ohio State, including a shot that rang off both posts before findings its way underneath Gibson’s pads, the second Buckeyes goal didn’t occur until the last 90 seconds of the period.
Defenseman Cole McWard shifted his weight along the blue line to create room to rip a shot, and it found its way past Gibson. Harvard coach Ted Donato challenged the goal for goaltender interference, but the officials deemed it good.
The first period ended with the Buckeyes leading the shot department 17-3, but that was only the start.
Ohio State opened the second frame with a bang, scoring less than four minutes in as forward Jake Wise wrapped around Gibson, sliding the puck to Gustaf Westlund for the tap-in.
Six seconds later, Thiesing netted his second by securing the faceoff, storming into the Harvard zone, and beating Gibson blocker high on the backhand.
Defenseman Mason Lohrei and forward Joe Dunlap each redirected shots into the net, adding two more goals to the Ohio State lead.
McWard notched his second goal of the game on the power play before the end of the second to extend the Ohio State lead to seven.
Just 70 seconds into the final period, junior forward Patrick Guzzo put the Buckeyes up 8-0. John Farinacci scored on a late third-period power play for the Crimson.
Jakub Dobes made 21 saves for the Buckeyes. Mitchell Gibson and Derek Mullahy combines for 32 stops for the Crimson, as Ohio State outshot Harvard 40-22.
