Preston’s Hat Trick Leads Buckeyes Past Notre Dame

by | Jan 16, 2022 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Senior Quinn Preston had a hat trick and four points and freshman goalie Jakub Dobeš made 38 saves as the No. 16/15 Ohio State men’s hockey team defeated No. 13 Notre Dame, 4-1, Saturday in Value City Arena in the Schottenstein Center. The teams were tied at one after the first but Preston scored in the final minute of the second and Ohio State added two more goals in the third for the victory.

 

The Buckeyes end the weekend with four Big Ten points after an overtime loss Friday. Ohio State is now 16-7-1 on the year and 8-4-1-0-1-1 in the Big Ten. The Irish fall to 16-7-0, with a 9-5-0-4-1-0 B1G ledger. The game ended the regular season series between the teams.

 

Up Next

Ohio State will hit the road for its next two series, starting next weekend at Michigan State. The teams will meet at 7 p.m. Friday and 6 p.m. Saturday in East Lansing, Mich. The Buckeyes and Spartans split a series in Columbus earlier this season.

 

The Short Story

The Buckeyes took advantage of an early power play, with Quinn Preston scoring at 3:18. The Irish tied the game with an unassisted shorthanded goal at 6:44. The teams remained tied until the final minute of the second, when Preston tallied at 19:20. Freshman Georgii Merkulov pushed the Ohio State lead to 3-1 at 4:11 of the third and Preston closed out his hat trick at 16:21. Preston also had an assist for a four-point night, while Merkulov (1g, 1a) and freshman defenseman Cole McWard (2a) each had two points. Jakub Dobeš stopped 38 shots, including 28 in the final two periods combined. Ohio State was 1-for-5 on the power play in the game and the penalty kill was 4-for-4.

 

Buckeye This and That

  • Preston’s hat trick and four-point night were the first of his career. It was the Buckeyes’ first game with three or more goals since Carson Meyer tallied four times March 6, 2020.
  • McWard had two assists in each game and now has four two-point nights, with three in the last five games.
  • Merkulov leads the Buckeyes with 12 goals and 24 points this season.
  • Dobeš is 15-6-1 this year, with a 2.12 goals-against average and .929 save percentage.
  • Ohio State is scoring 3.63 goals a game, allowing 2.21 per contest.
  • The Buckeyes outscored the Irish 2-0 in the third period and now hold a 46-15 advantage in the third period this season.