Dave Steckel scored two goals, including the game winner, to lead No. 14 Ohio State to a 5-3 win over Miami in the consolation game of the Lefty McFadden Invitational at the E.J. Nutter Center Saturday. Paul Caponigri chipped in a goal and an assist, while Nate Guenin had two helpers.
In the first period, the RedHawks took a 1-0 lead at 7:59 with a power-play goal by Matt Christie, who got the puck through traffic in the front of the net. The Buckeyes tied the game at 16:32, when Caponigri converted a 2-on-1 chance after taking a lead pass from Dan Knapp through the neutral zone. OSU outshot the RedHawks in the stanza, 8-7.
The Buckeyes ended the second period with a one-goal lead. Miami went ahead, 2-1, just 2:50 into the period, when Christie tallied his second power-play goal of the game. Steckel tied the game at 4:03 when he took a pass from Caponigri on a 2-on-1 and blasted it past MU goalie Steve Hartley with the teams skating four aside.
Scott May gave the Buckeyes their first lead of the game, assisted by Nate Guenin, when the Buckeyes picked the puck up deep in the RedHawk zone. May waited for Hartley to go down and put the puck into the open net, again with the teams skating 4-on-4. Miami had 14 shots in the stanza, OSU seven.
OSU extended its lead to 4-2 when Steckel scored his second goal of the game at 5:27 of the third with the Buckeyes on the power play. Guenin got the puck to Steckel at the side of the net and Steckel pushed it past Hartley.
Tyson Strachan posted his first career goal and point at 9:41, as he scored with a slapshot from the right point, assisted by Daymen Bencharski and Chris Olsgard. Miami cut OSU’s lead to two with its third power-play goal of the game at 14:58, as Tyler Hustead scored.
Ohio State was 1-for-7 on the power play, the RedHawks 3-of-10.
Dave Caruso started the game and played all 60 minutes for the Buckeyes, making 30 saves on 33 Miami shots. Hartley had 24 saves on 29 OSU shots.
OSU improves to 1-1-0 on the year, while the host RedHawks fall to 0-2-0
