Nothing has come easy for the Ohio State men’s hockey team the last couple weekends.
First, they had a chance to win the Big Ten regular season championship on home ice, but got swept by Minnesota.
Then Friday night, they lost again, this time in Ann Arbor against Michigan.
Saturday, the Buckeyes finally finished the job… eventually.
Mason Jobst scored the game-winning goal in double-overtime, giving Ohio State a 4-3 win and the program’s first Big Ten regular season hockey championship.
It’s the first regular season conference title for the Bucks in any league since the 1971-72 CCHA season.
The evening started well. Ohio State jumped out to a 3-1 lead, and seemed on the verge of putting the game away.
But Michigan battled back, scoring a power play goal to cut it to 3-2 after two periods.
Then the Wolverines tied it at 3 at the 9:35 mark of the third.
After that, OSU had to kill off a three-minute Michigan power play late in regulation just to get the game to overtime.
But after four full games of frustration and disappointment, the Bucks finally got the big play they needed.
Just as an OSU power play was expiring in double-overtime, Jobst got behind the Michigan defense and skated in all alone on Wolverine goalie Strauss Mann.
He ripped a wrist shot past the goalie’s outstretched right leg and into the net, setting off a wild celebration.
The championship represents another major milestone for Steve Rohlik’s program.
He failed to finish above .500 in conference play in any of his first three years in charge, but things changed in the 2016-17 season when the Buckeyes reached the NCAA Tournament.
Last spring, the Buckeyes reached the NCAA Frozen Four for the first time since 1998. Now, they’ve added their first regular season conference title in nearly a half-century.
They are also about to reach the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year, something they haven’t done since 2003-2005.
The Buckeyes return home next weekend to face Michigan State on Friday and Saturday nights to wrap up the regular season.
They will have a bye for the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, and then host a semifinal game on Sunday, March 17.
If they win that, they would host the Big Ten Tournament Championship game on Sunday, March 24.
You can watch the game-winning goal from the win over Michigan below.
?WINNER!?
"CAPT. CLUTCH!"
? Buckeyes clinch 2019 B1G Regular Season Championship! #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/e1f3MCHnbc— Ohio State Men's Hockey (@OhioStateMHKY) February 24, 2019
? Kings of the B1G!
Buckeyes hoist conference regular season ? after OT thriller at TTUN #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/T2pQQ21l6r— Ohio State Men's Hockey (@OhioStateMHKY) February 24, 2019
Clinching vs TTUN makes it extra-sweet. Great to see both the men’s and women’s icers doing so well! GO BUCKS!
EXCELLENT job, gents! And you beat the most appropriate team in reaching the title- well done.