Rensselaer dominated a fierce Ohio State Buckeye side 3-0 to win their season opener on October 9. Last season, Ohio State reached the Big Ten Tournament final despite an 8-15-1 regular-season conference record. Moreover, nine current players are affiliated with NHL teams, most notably Sascha Boumedienne, who was selected in the 1st round by the Winnipeg Jets in 2025. The Buckeyes seemed to be the clear favorites.
In the opening minutes, Ohio State applied attacking pressure, forcing several saves from Rensselaer's goaltender Nate Krawchuk. Six minutes into the first period Buckeye forward Félix Caron, a former Rensselaer player, received a two-minute minor penalty for hooking. During the power play, Rensselaer was able to place three shots on goal, but the short-handed Ohio State side had the scoring opportunity when two Buckeye attackers broke through the defensive line forcing Krawchuk to make an amazing save moving across posts.
With five minutes left in the first period, an opportunistic Luke Goukler intercepted an errant Buckeye pass and charged into Ohio’s zone before firing off a shot on goal. While the shot was saved, the puck rebounded right into the path of sophomore Filip Sitar who converted his chance to give the Engineers the lead. While Ohio State outshot Rensselaer fourteen to six in the first period, Rensselaer held the lead.
Rensselaer would begin the second period shorthanded due to a tripping penalty, where Krawchuk stood strong against a myriad of Ohio State shots. Unfortunately for the sophomore goaltender, Rensselaer’s penalty minutes would only increase. Seven minutes into the second period, Rensselaer’s Jagger Tapper leveled a Buckeye defender starting a brawl between the two teams. When the dust settled, the only penalties given was a five-minute major plus a ten minute game misconduct penalty to Tapper for head contact.
In the coming five minutes, Ohio State rattled off seven shots, but the Buckeyes could not beat the impenetrable Krawchuk. Adding to Ohio’s frustration, with two minutes left in the second period the Houston Field House exploded when Rensselaer forward Rainers Rullers fought for a loose puck on the goal line and scored to put the Engineers up 2-0.
At the start of the third period, tensions boiled over into late hits, starting a few scuffles between the two teams. In the following minutes, the two sides traded shots until Rensselaer defender Grayson Burzynski was called for a two-minute cross-checking penalty. Again, the short-handed Rensselaer defense stood strong, and another Ohio State onslaught came up goal-less.
With nine minutes left in the game, Rensselaer’s Ian Scherzer was called for a controversial tripping penalty, resulting in an uproar from the home crowd, but several massive saves from Krawchuk kept Rensselaer in the lead down the stretch. In the last two minutes of the game, Ohio State pulled their goaltender to gain an extra attacker, only for Rainers Rullers to score his second goal of the night by shooting on an open net from the outskirts of the attacking zone with fifteen seconds left in the game. In the final seconds, the home crowd chanted “Football School” at the opposing side to usher in the first win of the season.
Overall, Nate Krawchuk had a standout performance, saving all 36 shots from the Ohio State attack. Moreover, the defense as a unit showed massive resilience, fighting through eleven shorthanded minutes without conceding a goal. Despite Ohio State outshooting Rensselaer 36-20, Rensselaer managed to never give up the lead.
The men’s hockey team faced off against Ohio State University again on October 10th, and will play Long Island University on October 16th and 17th at home. The official box score can be found here.
