Columbus, Oh. —  The Lakers returned to action for a one game trip to face Ohio State in their final game of 2023. An exhilarating first period lead to what would be a tough battle with the Buckeyes, ultimately resulting in defeat by a score of 5-3.

How It Happened
Early pressure was applied by the Buckeyes, as Mercyhurst goalie Owen Say was tested at all angles. Ohio State's early pressure would be rewarded a little over 5 minutes in through Max Montes for a 1-0 lead. Mercyhurst continued to sustain the pressure until they picked up a power play at the halfway mark of the period. It amazingly only took the Lakers 5 seconds into the power play to even the score. It seemed like the Buckeye defense was fooled by a Boris Skalos decoy, leaving an opening for Dustin Geregach to send it home with help from the team leader in assists, Steven Agriogianis. 

Ohio State didn't let the goal change their approach, they got their own attempt at a power play and would eventually capitalize on it through Caden Brown. There was a frenzy at the net and the puck ended up slipping though the chaos for the home team to regain their lead. The action wasn't close to being done, which we've seen time and time again from our scrappy Lakers. They pulled it even yet again with just over a minute left before intermission with Kyler Head snapping a shot in the back of the net from range off of a face-off win by Agriogianis. The first period ended with the Buckeyes having 22 shots to Merychurst's 8, but a 2-2 tie going to the second.

The second period didn't start with the same flurry of scoring as the first. The two sides seemed to have adapted each other, with neither willing to budge. A goal would come though, with Ohio State going on the power play again in the 13th minute. Their leading point getter, Stephen Halliday, was able to sneak it in from the left side after a sequence of shots that were saved by Say. The Buckeyes struck again at the close of the period through Cam Thiesing, putting them ahead 4-2 going into the final period of play.

The Lakers looked motivated and aggressive out of the gate. They went on a power play early on, but OSU goalie Kristoffer Eberly made some massive saves to keep the attack at bay. A few minutes later, the gap widened when Jake Dunlap slotted it in on a breakaway, making himself the fifth different scorer for them in their 5-2 lead. Despite the goal, the game opened up and flowed from end to end more consistently as both sides looked to up their tallies. The Lakers showed they weren't done just yet as Keanan Stewart pulled one back in the 14th minute with help from Ryan Coughlin to make it a 5-3 contest. It was full throttle now for Mercyhurst as they went empty net for the last 3:30 and out shot Ohio State 12-8 in the period, but Eberly proved to sturdy to breakthrough, leading to the final whistle.

Highlights
Dustin Geregach netted his 2nd goal on the season.
Kyler Head bagged his 4th goal on the year.
Keanan Stewart scored his 6th goal.
Steven Agriogianis took the team lead in assists with 2 tonight, placing him at 11 on the season.
Ryan Coughlin picked up his 1st assists of the season.
Owen Say had 38 saves on 43 shots.

Scoring Summary
P1: 10:35 (PP) - Dustin Geregach from Steven Agriogianis

P1: 18:40 - Kyler Head from Agriogianis

P3: 14:39 - Keanan Stewart from Ryan Coughlin

Next Up
Mercyhurst will kick off 2024 with a trip up to Fairfield, Connecticut to take on Sacred Heart for a two game series starting Friday, January 5th.