One Step Forward, Two Steps Back for Gophers in Lopsided 6-2 Loss to Ohio State

Minneapolis, MN – Coming off a sweep of rival Wisconsin, it felt like the Minnesota Gophers might finally be turning a corner as the calendar flipped to February, showing consistently strong play in their first wins since early December.

Instead, Friday night delivered a harsh reminder of how fragile that progress remains.

Looking to extend their winning streak to three, the Gophers (10-17-1 Overall, 6-11-0 B1G) laid an absolute egg Friday night against an Ohio State squad (9-15-1, 5-10-0) ranked below them in the standings, in a 6-2 loss that quickly erased the good vibes from last weekend.

To Minnesota’s credit, the start suggested more of the same momentum they showed against the Badgers. The Gophers struck first, with Brodie Ziemer burying a power-play goal in the opening period. The early lead had Mariucci buzzing and hinted that Minnesota might be ready to stack strong performances for the first time in a while.

That optimism didn’t last.

Ohio State steadily took control as the period wore on, tying the game in the final minute of the first before striking again just two minutes into the second. In the blink of an eye, a 1-0 Minnesota lead had turned into a 2-1 Buckeye advantage – one Ohio State would never relinquish.

The Buckeyes continued to assert themselves all over the ice, building the lead to 4-1 with a combination of puck pressure, cleaner breakouts, and far fewer mistakes. Minnesota briefly gave itself a pulse late in the second period when Brody Lamb converted on the power play to cut the deficit to 4-2, but even that felt more like a pause than a true turning point.

Any remaining hope of a comeback vanished early in the third. Ohio State scored again to restore a three-goal cushion, then piled on once more before the night was over, completing a thorough 6-2 rout.

The result felt like an unfortunate return to form after what appeared to be a potential turnaround weekend against Wisconsin. Where the Gophers were aggressive, confident, and connected last week, they were slow on Friday, weak on the puck, sloppy with turnovers, and generally not sharp enough to beat anyone playing competent hockey.

One bright spot for Minnesota continues to be the power-play. After a 2-for-2 performance Friday night, the Gophers sit atop the nation in PP%, clicking at 32.5% on the season (26-for-80) including an insane 13-for-21 in the last seven games (61.9%). Unfortunately for Minnesota, they’ve only scored 20 total goals over that time, meaning they’re struggling to score anytime but on the man-advantage.

The silver lining of college hockey is that there’s rarely time to dwell. Minnesota will get a chance at immediate redemption Saturday night, when these same two teams meet again at 8 p.m. The question is whether the Gophers show the fight from last weekend – or repeat the flat performance that led to another frustrating step backward.