Recap: Ohio State Upsets #3 Providence in OT Home Opener 10/10/14

The Ohio State Buckeyes opened their regular season with a stunning 5-4 upset win in overtime over #3 ranked Providence Friday night. The journey to victory was an ebb and flow battle at the Schottenstein Center, revealing a blend of first-game rust and flashes of excellence for both sides.

Anthony Greco led the way for Ohio State, capping off a stellar hat trick performance with the game-winning powerplay blast less than a minute into OT. The rest of the Buckeye first line was also clicking, with senior captain Tanner Fritz nabbing the other 2 OSU goals and 2 more assists. The top players’ effort worked to bring their team back from 4 different 1 goal deficits in a dramatic affair. OSU and Providence traded goals throughout the night leading to wild swings (opposite sides scored with less than two minutes of separation on 2 different occasions).

The true winner for Ohio State was special teams superiority. OSU’s PK kept the Friars from capitalizing on 4 different man advantage opportunities. Most shots were kept effectively to the outside, and the visitors were limited to only 2 powerplay scoring chances on the night. Providence was impressive on their own kill effort through two periods, but the Buckeyes broke through twice in the third and once in overtime to push the game in their favor.

The key to the late-game powerplay heroics? A change to controlled zone entries over earlier dump-and-chase action. The first OSU powerplay goal resulted from control, puck movement, a point shot, and a glorious rebound (stuffed home by Fritz). The second (also from Fritz) happened as freshman Matthew Weis pushed into the zone, muscling into a Providence defender and forcing the PK unit back toward the goal line. Weis kept control and fed a clean pass to Fritz. The senior forward skated forward to the slot and ripped home the game-tying tally.

All was not so rosy for OSU at even strength. Providence out-chanced the home team 18-12 at 5-on-5 (contributing to the 30-25 shot advantage for the game). The Friars’ great strengths were depth of roster and puck control. The latter particularly developed as periods progressed. In the second, Providence struggled until around the 10 minute mark. The final 10 minutes of the frame were domination for the visitors. Ohio State did not come out unscathed (Trevor Mingoia put PC up 3-2 with 2 minutes left in the second). Providence also dominated a stretch late in the 3rd, although this time without a goal to show. The inconsistency might be explained by the early season date (this was the first game – regular season or otherwise – for Providence). Flashes of cycling and dazzling passing displays are encouraging for the Friars going forward.

All of the top three Providence forward lines contributed to the team’s offensive output. Puck control behind the net and passes toward the slot were not well-managed by OSU, and goalie Christian Frey was tested often. Calgary draft pick Mark Jankowski helped set up Friar teammates Shane Luke and Nick Saracino, leading to a goal for the latter. The Providence second line also impressed, despite Ross Mauermann and Brian Pinho (Washington draft pick) being held to only 1 goal.

With all the scoring excitement, it was a rough night for both goalies. Frey is still a wild card; the OSU netminder had only 16 games of experience last year. Whether his 2013-14 heights are indicative of long-term performance remains to be seen. At the very least, Frey will regret a third period tuck-in goal past a poor pad seal (by d-man Tom Parisi). Providence goalie Jon Gillies had an uncharacteristically poor night. He was victimized by a cross-crease pass and the 3 powerplay goals (over 5 powerplay shots on net).

Providence and Ohio State close out their series Saturday at 7:00 pm at the Schottenstein Center. If you aren’t going to or watching the Blue Jackets’ home opener, consider the college game!

BS Hockey’s 3 Stars

1. Anthony Greco (OSU) // A hat trick on opening night is an incredible script for the Buckeye junior. Greco’s efforts during the first two periods evened the score twice. Netting the game-winner in overtime to complete the trick? Even better.

2. Tanner Fritz (OSU) // The other OSU goal scorer, Fritz’s contributions were rewards to changes in the Buckeye powerplay. Twice, the home team used controlled zone entries to set up better looks. Twice it was Fritz who beat Gillies.

3. Trevor Mingoia (PC) // Mingoia established the depth superiority for Providence, ending up with a game-leading 5 shots on goal (converting one of those). His line also contributed 5 total scoring chances, the most of any single unit (2 directly from Mingoia’s stick).

10/10/2014 Scoring Chances

Team scoring chances by period, listed as (even strength / powerplay).

Player even strength scoring chances below:

Powerplay scoring chances by player:

Chances were tracked real-time at the game, using the general scoring chance area as described at Defending Big D.

(Featured image: Ohio State and Providence drop the puck on regular season hockey October 10th. Photo by Matt Souva)