Brett Ludwiczak
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Ohio State’s women’s hockey team looks for a spot in the NCAA Frozen Four
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Buckeyes battle Minnesota-Duluth today in Columbus with a trip to New Hampshire next week on the line.
After falling 6-3 to Wisconsin in the WCHA Final Faceoff Championship Game last Saturday, the Ohio State women’s ice hockey team is itching to get back on the ice. After finding out on Sunday they were the No. 1 overall seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament, on Thursday night the Buckeyes found out they would be taking on a familiar foe in Saturday’s regional final.
Minnesota-Duluth was able to outlast UConn in double overtime. The winner of today’s game between the Buckeyes and Bulldogs will move on to next week’s Frozen Four in New Hampshire.
Ohio State and Minnesota-Duluth have already met five times this season, with the most recent meeting coming just over a week ago in the WCHA Final Faceoff semifinal, where the Buckeyes coasted to a 5-0 victory.
Joy Dunne and Kiara Zanon scored goals just over midway through the first period, Emma Peschel and Makenna Webster added second period goals, and Olivia Mobley closed out the scoring with a goal in the third period. Raygan Kirk saved all 17 of Minnesota-Duluth’s shots, notching her eighth shutout of the year, which is tied for most in the country.
The Buckeyes have won all five meetings with the Bulldogs this season, only allowing two goals to Minnesota-Duluth in those games.
Last time Ohio State took the ice, they put forth their worst performance of the season, losing 6-3 to Wisconsin last Saturday in Minneapolis. The Badgers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period before Jocelyn Amos pulled one back for the Buckeyes early in the second period.
The momentum from the Amos goal was short-lived, as Wisconsin would score four unanswered goals before Hannah Bilka netted two goals in the third period to make the final score look a little more respectable. Bilka now has a team-high 45 points on the season. The six goals Raygan Kirk gave up was the most the standout goaltender has allowed this season in a game.
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Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
This marks the seventh NCAA Tournament appearance for the Buckeyes, with all seven trips to the NCAA Tournament coming under head coach Nadine Muzerall, who last week was named WCHA Coach of the Year for the fifth time. Along with Muzerall, Joy Dunne was named WCHA Freshman of the Year after she was the only freshman in the country with at least 20 goals this season. The 38 points Dunne has amassed throughout the season is four more than the next highest total from a freshman this season.
To reach today’s regional final, Minnesota-Duluth was pushed to the limit by UConn on Thursday night in Columbus. After 60 minutes of hockey neither the Bulldogs or Huskies were able to find the back of the net, sending the game to overtime.
Following the first overtime period that saw Minnesota-Duluth outshoot UConn 12-7, things got spicy in the middle of the second overtime period when it looked like the Huskies won the game when Claire Peterson scored, but the goal was challenged by Bulldogs head coach Maura Crowell, and the goal was overturned when it was determined UConn was offsides. Seven minutes later Minnesota-Duluth would secure a rematch with Ohio State when Mannon McMahon scored to end the game.
While McMahon scored the game-winning goal for the Bulldogs, the star of the game for Minnesota-Duluth was goaltender Eve Gascon, who became the first freshman goalie to start a NCAA Tournament game for the Bulldogs since 2010. Gascon not only finished the game with 33 saves, she earned her seventh shutout of the season, which is the third-most in a season in program history.
For the season, Minnesota-Duluth goalies have 13 shutouts, putting them one away from tying the single-season school record of 14 shutouts, which was set last season.
Now Ohio State will be looking to earn their sixth win of the season over Minnesota-Duluth. Entering today’s game, the Buckeyes have outscored the Bulldogs 16-2 in the previous five matchups, shutting out Minnesota-Duluth in each of the last four meetings.
These two programs are no stranger to squaring off in high-profile battles. Not only did the teams meet just a week ago in the 2024 WCHA Final Faceoff semifinal, they also did battle in the 2022 NCAA Championship Game, where Ohio State came out on top 3-2. Minnesota-Duluth holds a 32-74-9 lead all-time, but the Buckeyes have closed the gap recently, winning nine of the last ten meetings with the Bulldogs.
Time: 4 p.m. ET
TV: B1G+
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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
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Buckeyes battle Minnesota-Duluth today in Columbus with a trip to New Hampshire next week on the line.
After falling 6-3 to Wisconsin in the WCHA Final Faceoff Championship Game last Saturday, the Ohio State women’s ice hockey team is itching to get back on the ice. After finding out on Sunday they were the No. 1 overall seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament, on Thursday night the Buckeyes found out they would be taking on a familiar foe in Saturday’s regional final.
Minnesota-Duluth was able to outlast UConn in double overtime. The winner of today’s game between the Buckeyes and Bulldogs will move on to next week’s Frozen Four in New Hampshire.
Ohio State and Minnesota-Duluth have already met five times this season, with the most recent meeting coming just over a week ago in the WCHA Final Faceoff semifinal, where the Buckeyes coasted to a 5-0 victory.
Joy Dunne and Kiara Zanon scored goals just over midway through the first period, Emma Peschel and Makenna Webster added second period goals, and Olivia Mobley closed out the scoring with a goal in the third period. Raygan Kirk saved all 17 of Minnesota-Duluth’s shots, notching her eighth shutout of the year, which is tied for most in the country.
The Buckeyes have won all five meetings with the Bulldogs this season, only allowing two goals to Minnesota-Duluth in those games.
Last time Ohio State took the ice, they put forth their worst performance of the season, losing 6-3 to Wisconsin last Saturday in Minneapolis. The Badgers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period before Jocelyn Amos pulled one back for the Buckeyes early in the second period.
The momentum from the Amos goal was short-lived, as Wisconsin would score four unanswered goals before Hannah Bilka netted two goals in the third period to make the final score look a little more respectable. Bilka now has a team-high 45 points on the season. The six goals Raygan Kirk gave up was the most the standout goaltender has allowed this season in a game.
This marks the seventh NCAA Tournament appearance for the Buckeyes, with all seven trips to the NCAA Tournament coming under head coach Nadine Muzerall, who last week was named WCHA Coach of the Year for the fifth time. Along with Muzerall, Joy Dunne was named WCHA Freshman of the Year after she was the only freshman in the country with at least 20 goals this season. The 38 points Dunne has amassed throughout the season is four more than the next highest total from a freshman this season.
To reach today’s regional final, Minnesota-Duluth was pushed to the limit by UConn on Thursday night in Columbus. After 60 minutes of hockey neither the Bulldogs or Huskies were able to find the back of the net, sending the game to overtime.
Following the first overtime period that saw Minnesota-Duluth outshoot UConn 12-7, things got spicy in the middle of the second overtime period when it looked like the Huskies won the game when Claire Peterson scored, but the goal was challenged by Bulldogs head coach Maura Crowell, and the goal was overturned when it was determined UConn was offsides. Seven minutes later Minnesota-Duluth would secure a rematch with Ohio State when Mannon McMahon scored to end the game.
While McMahon scored the game-winning goal for the Bulldogs, the star of the game for Minnesota-Duluth was goaltender Eve Gascon, who became the first freshman goalie to start a NCAA Tournament game for the Bulldogs since 2010. Gascon not only finished the game with 33 saves, she earned her seventh shutout of the season, which is the third-most in a season in program history.
For the season, Minnesota-Duluth goalies have 13 shutouts, putting them one away from tying the single-season school record of 14 shutouts, which was set last season.
Now Ohio State will be looking to earn their sixth win of the season over Minnesota-Duluth. Entering today’s game, the Buckeyes have outscored the Bulldogs 16-2 in the previous five matchups, shutting out Minnesota-Duluth in each of the last four meetings.
These two programs are no stranger to squaring off in high-profile battles. Not only did the teams meet just a week ago in the 2024 WCHA Final Faceoff semifinal, they also did battle in the 2022 NCAA Championship Game, where Ohio State came out on top 3-2. Minnesota-Duluth holds a 32-74-9 lead all-time, but the Buckeyes have closed the gap recently, winning nine of the last ten meetings with the Bulldogs.
Time: 4 p.m. ET
TV: B1G+
Continue reading...