Brett Ludwiczak
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Ohio State’s women’s hockey team battles Minnesota-Duluth on Friday in a WCHA Final Faceoff semifinal
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Justin Berl/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
The Buckeyes will look to continue their recent dominance over the Bulldogs.
Before the NCAA Tournament begins next week, Ohio State’s women’s hockey team will take the ice in Minneapolis in the WCHA Final Faceoff against Minnesota-Duluth. The winner of the first semifinal between the Buckeyes and the Bulldogs will go on to face the winner of the second semifinal between Wisconsin and Minnesota.
The Buckeyes have made the finals of the annual conference tournament in each of the last four seasons, going on to win the conference title twice.
Ohio State enters the semifinals as the top-ranked team in the country, posting a 31-3 record, outscoring their opponents 179-44. Nadine Muzerall’s team had no issue in the quarterfinals against Bemidji State, outscoring the Beavers 18-1 in the two-game sweep.
The Buckeyes opened up the best-of-three series by scoring three goals in the first 5:48 of Friday’s game. Cayla Barnes and Jenna Buglioni each scored two goals in the blowout victory.
Saturday’s game had a similar start, as Ohio State scored three goals in the first 11:23 of the game. Jennifer Gardiner scored two goals, Buglioni added a goal and an assist, while Joy Dunne and Kiara Zanon each recorded three points. Goaltender Raygan Kirk earned an easy shutout, only having to stop nine shots from Bemidji State, notching her seventh shutout of the season.
In six games this season, Ohio State outscored the Beavers 52-4.
Now Ohio State will turn their attention to Minnesota-Duluth, who the Buckeyes defeated in all four of their meetings during the regular season. Early in the season, Ohio State took on the Bulldogs at their rink, sweeping the two games 5-2 on October 13, followed by a 2-0 win the following day.
In the first meeting of the season between the teams, Hadley Hartmetz was the star, netting her first career hat trick in the victory. In the second game, Emma Peschel and Hannah Bilka scored second-period goals, while Kirk stopped all 16 shots she faced.
The teams met in Columbus in January, with the Buckeyes earning two hard-fought shutout wins on their home ice. Kelsey King, Joy Dunne, and Kenzie Hauswirth scored goals in the 3-0 win on January 19, as Kirk again blanked the Bulldogs. The next day Hannah Bilka’s power play goal at the 15:42 mark of the third period was the only tally in the game. Amanda Thiele was between the pipes for Ohio State in the game, stopping all 18 shots she saw.
Even though Ohio State won all four of the meetings between the teams in the regular season, Minnesota-Duluth isn’t a team the Buckeyes can sleep on. The Bulldogs won 20 games this season, outscoring opponents 88-52.
Reece Hunt is the team’s leading scorer, netting 18 goals and dishing out 16 assists. Hunt was the star of the 5-0 win by the Bulldogs over St. Cloud State in the first game of the WCHA Quarterfinals, scoring a goal and being credited with four assists. Mannon McMahon sits just behind Hunt, scoring 13 goals and tallying 17 assists this season. McMahon scored both goals in the 2-0 win over St. Cloud State on Saturday.
Much like the Buckeyes, Minnesota-Duluth has a duo of goaltenders who have been tough to get pucks past so far this season. Both Eve Garson and Hailey MacLeod have six shutouts this year, and enter the semifinal against the Buckeyes with at least a .950 save percentage. MacLeod has 11 wins on the season, two more than Garson, while her 1.06 goals against average is a little lower than the 1.52 goals against average Garson has posted.
The semifinal battle between Ohio State and Minnesota-Duluth will be the latest in a string of high-profile matchups between the Buckeyes and Bulldogs over the last few years.
Back in 2021, Ohio State beat Minnesota-Duluth 7-2 in the WCHA semifinals and then was beaten by Wisconsin in the conference final. The next season, Ohio State beat the Bulldogs 3-2 in the NCAA Championship Game, clinching the first national title in program history for the Buckeyes. Last season, Ohio State again beat Minnesota-Duluth in the WCHA semis before falling to Minnesota in the conference championship game.
The winner of Friday’s semifinal between the Buckeyes and Bulldogs will go on to meet the winner of the second semifinal on Friday between the Wisconsin Badgers and Minnesota Golden Gophers.
The WCHA Championship Game will take place on Saturday afternoon at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis. No matter how the action plays out in the WCHA Final Faceoff, expect Ohio State to be hosting regional action before the semifinals and championship game are held in New Hampshire later in March.
What: No. 1 Ohio State vs. Minnesota-Duluth
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Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Justin Berl/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
The Buckeyes will look to continue their recent dominance over the Bulldogs.
Before the NCAA Tournament begins next week, Ohio State’s women’s hockey team will take the ice in Minneapolis in the WCHA Final Faceoff against Minnesota-Duluth. The winner of the first semifinal between the Buckeyes and the Bulldogs will go on to face the winner of the second semifinal between Wisconsin and Minnesota.
The Buckeyes have made the finals of the annual conference tournament in each of the last four seasons, going on to win the conference title twice.
Ohio State enters the semifinals as the top-ranked team in the country, posting a 31-3 record, outscoring their opponents 179-44. Nadine Muzerall’s team had no issue in the quarterfinals against Bemidji State, outscoring the Beavers 18-1 in the two-game sweep.
The Buckeyes opened up the best-of-three series by scoring three goals in the first 5:48 of Friday’s game. Cayla Barnes and Jenna Buglioni each scored two goals in the blowout victory.
Saturday’s game had a similar start, as Ohio State scored three goals in the first 11:23 of the game. Jennifer Gardiner scored two goals, Buglioni added a goal and an assist, while Joy Dunne and Kiara Zanon each recorded three points. Goaltender Raygan Kirk earned an easy shutout, only having to stop nine shots from Bemidji State, notching her seventh shutout of the season.
In six games this season, Ohio State outscored the Beavers 52-4.
Now Ohio State will turn their attention to Minnesota-Duluth, who the Buckeyes defeated in all four of their meetings during the regular season. Early in the season, Ohio State took on the Bulldogs at their rink, sweeping the two games 5-2 on October 13, followed by a 2-0 win the following day.
In the first meeting of the season between the teams, Hadley Hartmetz was the star, netting her first career hat trick in the victory. In the second game, Emma Peschel and Hannah Bilka scored second-period goals, while Kirk stopped all 16 shots she faced.
The teams met in Columbus in January, with the Buckeyes earning two hard-fought shutout wins on their home ice. Kelsey King, Joy Dunne, and Kenzie Hauswirth scored goals in the 3-0 win on January 19, as Kirk again blanked the Bulldogs. The next day Hannah Bilka’s power play goal at the 15:42 mark of the third period was the only tally in the game. Amanda Thiele was between the pipes for Ohio State in the game, stopping all 18 shots she saw.
Even though Ohio State won all four of the meetings between the teams in the regular season, Minnesota-Duluth isn’t a team the Buckeyes can sleep on. The Bulldogs won 20 games this season, outscoring opponents 88-52.
Reece Hunt is the team’s leading scorer, netting 18 goals and dishing out 16 assists. Hunt was the star of the 5-0 win by the Bulldogs over St. Cloud State in the first game of the WCHA Quarterfinals, scoring a goal and being credited with four assists. Mannon McMahon sits just behind Hunt, scoring 13 goals and tallying 17 assists this season. McMahon scored both goals in the 2-0 win over St. Cloud State on Saturday.
Much like the Buckeyes, Minnesota-Duluth has a duo of goaltenders who have been tough to get pucks past so far this season. Both Eve Garson and Hailey MacLeod have six shutouts this year, and enter the semifinal against the Buckeyes with at least a .950 save percentage. MacLeod has 11 wins on the season, two more than Garson, while her 1.06 goals against average is a little lower than the 1.52 goals against average Garson has posted.
The semifinal battle between Ohio State and Minnesota-Duluth will be the latest in a string of high-profile matchups between the Buckeyes and Bulldogs over the last few years.
Back in 2021, Ohio State beat Minnesota-Duluth 7-2 in the WCHA semifinals and then was beaten by Wisconsin in the conference final. The next season, Ohio State beat the Bulldogs 3-2 in the NCAA Championship Game, clinching the first national title in program history for the Buckeyes. Last season, Ohio State again beat Minnesota-Duluth in the WCHA semis before falling to Minnesota in the conference championship game.
The winner of Friday’s semifinal between the Buckeyes and Bulldogs will go on to meet the winner of the second semifinal on Friday between the Wisconsin Badgers and Minnesota Golden Gophers.
The WCHA Championship Game will take place on Saturday afternoon at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis. No matter how the action plays out in the WCHA Final Faceoff, expect Ohio State to be hosting regional action before the semifinals and championship game are held in New Hampshire later in March.
What: No. 1 Ohio State vs. Minnesota-Duluth
Day: Friday, March 8
Time: 2 p.m. ET
TV: B1G+
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