Ohio State hockey upsets top seed Michigan State, makes Big Ten final

· Yahoo Sports

The Ohio State men's ice hockey team is in the midst of, by all expectations, a pretty terrible season. This program has had some ups and downs in recent years, but last season was a great year, where the Buckeyes reached the NCAA tournament before falling in the first round. Talent was returning, momentum was building, and hopes were high.

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Those hopes were dashed pretty early in the season, when a 5-10 start (including a six-game losing streak) set the Buckeyes way back. And it wasn't like the schedule was frontloaded with great teams. The Buckeyes lost to Sacred Heart, Bowling Green, and Arizona State (twice), among other losses. The end of the season wasn't any better, as the Buckeyes entered the Big Ten tournament as the No. 5 seed (out of seven teams) with a 12-20-2 overall record, 8-15-1 in conference.

Out of absolutely nowhere, though, this team has found something in the Big Ten Tournament. Limping into the tournament after being swept by Notre Dame (last in the conference), the Buckeyes exploded for a 7-1 victory over No. 4 seed Wisconsin in the opening round. Still, all that provided was a meeting with No. 1 seed Michigan State (No. 3 in the country), and a likely end to the season there.

Instead, the Buckeyes played one of their best games of the season to stick with Michigan State. (The Spartans actually don't match up well against the Buckeyes, as the pair split the regular season meetings 2-2.) Ohio State took a 2-1 lead with a power play goal early in the second period, but the Spartans matched at the end of the period. A scoreless third period (where the Spartans were in control most of the time) sent us to overtime.

Less than three minutes into overtime, Felix Caron put a puck on net that deflected off a Michigan State leg. That was enough to beat the goalie, sending the Buckeyes to the Big Ten Championship Game next Saturday.

The final will be in Ann Arbor against the Michigan Wolverines. Michigan is the No. 1 team in the country this year and won all four meetings over the Buckeyes. If Ohio State loses, the season is over. If the Buckeyes pull off one more upset, they take home the Big Ten title and earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament.

This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Ohio State hockey upsets top seed Michigan State, makes Big Ten final

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