After losing their previous 13 meetings with Ohio State over the past three-plus seasons, including a 5-1 loss on Friday, a St. Thomas victory over the No. 2 Buckeyes on Saturday at St. Thomas Ice Arena had to be considered improbable.

And, after being outshot by nearly a five-to-one margin as the game unfolded, the needle was moving from improbable toward impossible. Yet, tied 0-0 at the end of regulation, the Tommies found themselves one goal away from pulling off the biggest upset in their brief Division I existence.

But a goal 21 seconds into overtime allowed the Buckeyes to leave town with a 1-0 victory.

“It’s a tough way for it to end,” St. Thomas coach Joel Johnson said, “But overall, I can’t ask a whole lot more of the defensive effort that we gave today.”

The game featured a stellar performance from Tommies freshman goaltender Dani Strom, who stopped the first 39 shots she faced. The Tommies managed only nine shots on goal.

The game winner, scored by Ohio State defenseman Emma Peschel, came with the teams playing four on three. A Tommies’ penalty late in the third period carried over into the overtime.

“I think it’s really good for our team to know that we can play with the No. 2 team in the country,” Strom said. “We were right there, so having the confidence going forward that we can play with any team.”

Strom made her fifth straight start in goal. Johnson does not comment on injuries, but graduate student Calla Frank hasn’t played since October 18.

“She continues to show that she is ready for big spots,” Johnson said of Strom. “She proved that again today.”

Strom, who said she found herself in that “zone” that athletes strive for, credited her teammates for helping her shut down the Buckeyes’ vaunted offensive attack.

“It helps having such a great team around me,” she said. “It’s giving me more confidence to do my best.”

The Buckeyes had the Tommies on their heels from the opening faceoff, and it stayed that way for most of the first period. Despite being outshot 15-4, the Tommies kept the game scoreless after 20 minutes thanks to the outstanding work of Strom.

“I think that’s what happens when you get a team like them, with the pedigree that they have, the roster that they have,” Johnson said. “They wanted to try and come and bully us around. I thought our players did a good job of standing up for themselves and defending.”

Despite the low shots on goal total, the Tommies had their opportunities to win the game in regulation, thanks to three power plays. But they managed to put little pressure on the Buckeyes with the player advantage.

“The power play is a situation where I’ve got to be a better coach,” Johnson said. “I told our team that. It’s up to me to come up with some better schemes on the power play.”

The Tommies’ final power play came at 17:19 of the third period, setting up what could have been a dramatic finish. But the Buckeyes had the best chance on the Tommies’ power play, with Strom stopping 11-goal scorer Joy Dunne on a breakaway.

While proud of his team, Johnson is ready to take the next step.

“There’s no moral victories,” he said. “We’re in Year 4 and we expect to compete every weekend in our league. It’s a tough, tough league to play in when you’re playing No. 4, then No. 7 and then No. 2 in the country in back-to-back-to-back weekends.

“But that’s what we signed up for.”

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