Ohio State scored twice in the second period and twice into an empty net late in the third to hand top-ranked Michigan its first loss of the season, 5-2, in the Big Ten opener Saturday at Value City Arena in Columbus. The Wolverines fall to 7-1-0; the Buckeyes improve to 3-4-0.

Jakub Milota made 26 saves for Ohio State. Jack Ivankovic stopped 27 of 30 shots for Michigan, which was outshot 32-28 and went 0-for-2 on the power play. Ohio State was 1-for-3 with the man advantage.

How it happened

After a scoreless first period in which the Buckeyes held a 9-6 shot edge, Jake Karabela opened the scoring at 4:38 of the second, from Benjamin Wilmott and Felix Caron. Evan Jardine, Ohio State’s points leader coming in, made it 2-0 at 7:40 with an assist from Max Montes.

Garrett Schifsky got Michigan on the board at 13:58 of the second, his fourth goal of the season, set up by Henry Mews and Ben Robertson. Sascha Boumedienne restored the two-goal lead at 9:45 of the third with his first goal of the year.

With Ivankovic pulled for an extra attacker, Cole McKinney cut it to 3-2 at 16:49, his sixth of the season, from Michael Hage and Landon DuPont. Sam Deckhut (18:29) and James Hong (19:35) then sealed it with empty-net goals.

Michigan won 35 of 65 faceoffs. Will Horcoff, whose buzzer-beater beat Western Michigan on Oct. 23, was called for cross-checking in the first period.

What’s next

The teams finish the weekend series Sunday, Nov. 1, at 7:30 p.m. at Value City Arena, streaming on BTN+. Read the series preview.

Sources

• College Hockey News: Michigan at Ohio State box score, Oct. 31, 2026
• College Hockey News: Scoreboard, Oct. 31, 2026
• Michigan Athletics: Men’s ice hockey schedule and results
• Mitten Hockey: Michigan at Ohio State preview, Oct. 31, 2026

Correction (November 2, 2026): This story originally said Will Horcoff was called for cross-checking in the second period. The penalty came in the first period, at 4:42. It has been corrected.