KALAMAZOO -- Dane Walters netted his team-leading 13th goal with 1:40 remaining in overtime to push the Broncos to a 3-2 win over Ohio State in front of 3,577 fans at Lawson Ice Arena on Friday night.
With just under two minutes left in the extra period WMU's
Shane Berschbach played the puck out of the Bronco zone to
Chase Balisy at center ice. The Nashville Predators draft pick took the puck into the OSU zone and flipped it to Walters, who made a diving shot and slipped it five-hole for the winner.
The win keeps Western Michigan (15-11-5, 12-8-3-3, CCHA) in second place and two points behind first place Ferris State in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association standings.
WMU also picked up goals from
Matt Tennyson and
Kyle O'Kane on the night, while Balisy tallied two assists, including one on the game-winner.
Frank Slubowski made 23 saves on the night while OSU's Cal Heeter made 34 in the losing effort.
After a scoreless first period in which the Broncos outshot OSU 14-11, Tennyson's eighth of the season gave the Broncos a 1-0 lead 1:38 into the second period. Just as a five-on-three power play was expiring, WMU utilized their fake one-timer shot as Balisy passed it between
Dennis Brown's legs to Tennyson and he buried it into the back of the net. Balisy tallied his 17th assist on the season, while Brown pushed his career-high to 16 assists.
The Buckeyes answered just minutes later at 4:21 on Cory Schneider's fourth of the season. A shot by Chad Niddery went wide to Schneider at the side of the net, he spun and fired and the puck deflected off a Bronco defender in front of the net and in.
WMU regained the lead, 2-1, at 14:59 in the second period on O'Kane's fourth of the season.
Derek Roehl fired a shot on from the slot and O'Kane cleaned up the rebound.
OSU once again tied the game, this time at 9:25 in the third period on a power play goal by Max McCormick. McCormick took a pass from Al McLean and fired it from the right circle, sneaking it past Slubowski for his ninth of the season.
The Broncos outshot the Buckeyes 37-25 and were 1-for-5 on the power play on the night, while holding OSU to 1-for-4. The two teams square off on Saturday night at 7 p.m. with the Broncos hosting Ice Duchenne night.
