Another weekend, another chance squandered.
The Gophers men's hockey team skated to a 1-1 tie with last-place Ohio State on Saturday in Columbus. The Buckeyes won the shootout to earn the extra point in the Big Ten standings.
Tenth-ranked Minnesota, a winner on Friday night, still has not swept a series since taking two from St. Thomas to open the season.
Ohio State's Davis Burnside scored the lone goal in the shootout as the Gophers' struggles continued. They have lost all four shootouts after regulation ties, losing valuable points as the season enters its second half.
On Saturday, the Buckeyes (5-9-4, 0-8-2 Big Ten) hit the back of the net on their first shot on goal, scored by Cam Thiesing at 3 minutes, 33 seconds of the first period.
They were up 1-0 going into the second period despite being outshot 7-5 in the first.
The Gophers (9-5-4, 5-4-3) tied the game on a goal by Aaron Huglen thanks to a feed from Ryan Chesley at 10:05 of the second period but could get no more.
Goalie Justen Close, seeking the 50th victory of his Gophers career, finished with 29 saves.
Buckeyes goalie Kristoffer Eberly, a 6-4 freshman making his first career start, had 23 saves. Eberly entered Friday's game after the first period and had 10 saves over the final two periods.
The Gophers are idle until Jan. 1, when they will play host to an exhibition with the U.S. National Under-18 team. Their next Big Ten series is vs. these same Buckeyes, Jan. 19-20 at home.
