CLEVELAND — When Cleveland Indians president Mark Shapiro scheduled Ohio State and Michigan to play outdoors at Progressive Field, his only concern was a mismatch.

“When we first pursued the matchup, it was, ‘Hey, the University of Michigan is going to be the hockey powerhouse and Ohio State has an emerging program, but it’s probably not going to be much of a game,” he said before yesterday’s Frozen Diamond Faceoff.

Although the first half of the season suggested otherwise, Shapiro’s thoughts proved dangerously close to the mark for the Buckeyes. In front of a festive crowd in the first outdoor hockey game in state history, the Buckeyes fell behind early and stumbled to a 4-1 defeat in front of 25,864 chilly but vocal fans.

It was the cap to a weekend that has the Buckeyes (14-6-3, 10-5-3-1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association) looking for answers. Two months ago, they swept their rivals to the north in Ann Arbor for the first time in 26 years as part of an 11-game unbeaten streak that helped propel them to the top of the CCHA. Now one weekend after dropping a pair of road shootout losses to conference cellar-dweller Bowling Green, the Buckeyes were outscored 8-1 in two games by the Wolverines (14-8-4, 8-6-4-1).

After the series against the Falcons, senior captain Sean Duddy said that he and his teammates looked past their hosts with the outdoor game looming. This time, they just got outworked.

“I think you could tell a little bit in the first period we were a little bit in awe of the situation,” senior captain Cory Schneider said. “I’m not using that as an excuse. We weren’t consistent with our compete level, and there’s no excuse for that.”

Michigan coach Red Berensen pointed out his seniors were playing their third outdoor game in four years, helping them better handle the surroundings. Senior defenseman Greg Pateryn said the fans felt closer after playing the previous two outdoor games at football stadiums.

The Wolverines essentially put the game out of reach during a 26-second stretch in the second period that saw them score twice after OSU had pulled to 2-1.

The third goal came at 9:49 after an Ohio State turnover behind its own net resulted in an uncontested shot from the left point by David Wohlberg that deflected off teammate Derek DeBlois and past goalie Cal Heeter. The second came after a burst of speed along the right side — or first-base side — of the ice from Wohlberg resulted in a weak backhanded shot that somehow slid into the five-hole of the net.

It chased Heeter from the game and forced the largely pro-OSU crowd to consider warmer confines rather than stick around to see the rest of the game play out. Some of those who stayed engaged in snowball fights along the lower seats on the first-base side.

“I think we have to go through a situation like this,” Ohio State coach Mark Osiecki said. “Until this point there’s not been much adversity. We need to be on a stage like this for our program to grow.”

Neither team scored during the final 29:45 in an anticlimactic end to what was otherwise an energetic atmosphere in downtown Cleveland. Lines at local restaurants stretched more than 20 groups deep nearly four hours before the opening faceoff, and Shapiro was impressed to see tailgaters along the side streets outside the ballpark at about the same time.

Fans seeking game-used pucks advertised throughout the concourse found them sold out more than an hour before the game started. Two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin dropped the ceremonial first puck, and the OSU marching band performed Script Ohio on the ice after the first intermission.

But for all the excitement surrounding the evening’s proceedings, the game itself proved to be a dud for Ohio State fans save for Chris Crane’s team-leading 13th goal of the season that came 50 seconds into the second period.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime (experience), but at the same time it will still sting for the loss,” Schneider said.

ajardy@dispatch.com

Michigan 4, Ohio State 1

FIRST PERIOD: 1. Michigan, Brown 9 (Clare, Guptill) 7:31; 2. Michigan, Guptill 12 (Brown, Bennett) 13:33.

SECOND: 3. Ohio State, Crane 13 (McCormick, Martell) :50; 4. Michigan, Deblois 5 (Wohlberg) 9:47; 5. Michigan, Wohlberg 13 (Brown, Clare) 10:15.

Shots on goal: Michigan 16-16-10—42; Ohio State 11-10-11—32. Goalies: Michigan, Hunwick (32 shots, 31 saves); Ohio State, Heeter (24-20), Hjelle (18-18). Power plays: Michigan, 0 of 5; Ohio State, 0-4. A: 25,864.