| Ohio State Hockey Jersey |
ITHACA, N.Y. - Dave Steckel had two goals, including the game winner at 19:07 of the third period, to lead 12th ranked Ohio State to a 4-3 win over Cornell in men’s hockey Saturday evening at Lynah Rink.
Paul Caponigri and J. B. Bittner also tallied for the Buckeyes, which improved to 10-5-0. Sophomore right wing Shane Hynes, captain Ryan Vesce and left wing Matt Moulson scored power-play goals for the Big Red, which fell to 3-2-3.
Mike Betz made 23 saves in goal for Ohio State, while freshman goaltender David McKee turned aside 22 for Cornell.
Steckel put the Buckeyes ahead at 3:19 of the opening period, when he collected a pass from Bittner and beat McKee with a high shot that caught the top of the net. Caponigri made it 2-0 at 0:39 of the middle period, before Hynes cut the Cornell deficit in half with just under four minutes to play in the second period. Bittner scored with Cornell defenseman Charlie Cook in the penalty box for a 3-1 lead at 17:52, but Vesce scored with just 39 seconds to play in the period.
The Big Red tied the game, 3-3, at 6:17 of the third period when Moulson skated the length of the ice and bounced a puck off Betz into the net. Betz, playing superbly, kept his team in the game as Cornell pressed for the winning goal. Steckel scored the game winner when he tapped in a rebound off the stick of teammate Doug Andress with 53 seconds to play. Cornell pulled McKee for an extra skater at 19:18 but was unable to tally the equalizer.
