Highlights

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Ohio State junior John Kelly scored with four seconds remaining to steal a season-opening win from Furman, 8-7, on Saturday in front of 336 fans in Paladin Stadium. The win gives the 12th-ranked Buckeyes their first win of the season, while the loss drops Furman to 0-1 early in the 2016 campaign.

Ohio State took a 7-5 lead in the fourth quarter, but Furman used a man-up goal from freshman Matthew VanGalen to cut the lead to 7-6 with 2:11 to go. Furman took the ensuing face-off and held the ball until sophomore Jonah Moore netted his second goal of the day with 33-seconds remaining to tie the game at seven. After a ground ball was picked up by the Buckeyes, Ohio State's Austin Shanks passed the ball to Kelly who launched a falling-down, desperation shot that bounced into the net with four second on the clock, giving Ohio State the 8-7 win.

Furman was led offensively by Scott Primeau and Moore, who tallied two goals and one assist each. VanGalen added a goal and an assist of his own, while Hil Blaze and Chase Hancock each added one goal. Sophomore goalie Reilly McDermott took the tough-luck loss for the Paladins after making 13 saves.

Johnny Pearson scored a team-high two goals for the Buckeyes, while Bellarmine-transfer Austin Shanks added a goal and a team-high two assists. Goalie Tom Carey tallied five saves, while face-off specialist Jake Withers added a team-high eight ground balls.

Hil Blaze won the game's opening face-off and immediately scored, giving the Paladins a 1-0 lead just 11 seconds into the game. Furman pushed the lead to 2-0 after Scott Primeau scored with 11:54 remaining in the first, but Ohio State scored four-consecutive goals over the next 22 minutes of game time, giving the Buckeyes the 4-2 halftime advantage.

Furman used back-to-back goals in the third from Chase Hancock and Jonah Moore to tie the game at four, but Ohio State's Carter Brown put the Buckeyes back on top at 5-4 with 2:45 remaining. Primeau netted his second goal of the day on an assists from David Williamson to tie the match at five heading into the game's final period.

Ohio State used an extra man goal from Colin Chell and an unassisted goal from Jack Jasinski to push the lead back to two at 7-5. Furman got two goals in two minutes to tie the game at 7, but Kelly's goal with four-seconds remaining gave the Buckeyes' the 8-7 win and stunned the crowd in Paladin Stadium.

Furman is back in action on Saturday, February 13, traveling to Chapel Hill, N.C., to take on No. 8 North Carolina at 1:00 p.m.

Chandler Carver, Sports Information