The No. 4/5 Minnesota Golden Gophers avoided an Ohio State Buckeyes sweep when senior defenseman Jake Bischoff's shot hit the back of the net to put the Gophers up for good in a 6-5 comeback victory.
Minnesota (18-8-2, 9-3-0-0 Big Ten) found itself in a 3-0 deficit to the No. 12/13 Buckeyes with 14:14 left in the second period after sophomore forward Dakota Joshua scored, courtesy of a Gordi Myer assist.
But the key momentum change came in the second period when the Buckeyes were called for a major penalty. Gophers forwards Justin Kloos and Tyler Sheehy were able to make the most of the five-minute advantage, each scoring a goal to tie the game 4-4.
After Ohio State grabbed the lead once again in the third period, Minnesota tied it at 5-5 with Vinni Lettieri's second goal of the night.
The Gophers claimed the lead for the first time with Bischoff's goal with 4:26 to play. The sixth power-play goal of the night set a new school record for the most PPG scored in a single game.
"It was one of those games we felt like we were never out of it, and the power play got humming when we needed it to," Gophers head coach Don Lucia said after the game. "It was just one of those nights that pucks were going in."
It was a much-needed victory for Minnesota after it fell 5-4 to the Buckeyes on Feb. 10. With eight regular-season games remaining, the Gophers need to maintain their high level of play to remain in contention for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Ohio State drops to 14-8-6 overall and 5-6-1-1 in the Big Ten after the loss.
Minnesota will travel to Penn State on Feb. 17-18 for a series against the Nittany Lions, who are fresh off a sweep of the Wisconsin Badgers.
