The lady Bucks fell just a bit short tonight as they hosted the first of two games against the No. 5/6 Bemidji State Beavers. The first period was physical and penalty riddled. Many whistles made for choppy action but what flow existed was evenly divided between the two teams. Shots were nearly equal at 9-8. Both sides went 0-for-2 on their power play chances. Clean looks were rare as each defense worked to lock down prime scoring real estate.
| boxscore | 1 | 2 | 3 | final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 5/6 Bemidji State | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Ohio State | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Bemidji’s Hanna Moher took advantage of one such look three minutes into the game. She hovered, unattended, on the glove side of Buckeye goalie Alex LaMere. Eventually the puck came to Moher and a quick rising shot found the back of the net.
The teams settled into a quieter middle frame. The Buckeyes killed off another penalty. They also maintained their slight lead in shots on goal but could not penetrate the Beaver defense. A few rushes looked as though they might lead to scoring chances but fizzled out when the Bucks were unable to control the puck.
Ohio State began the final period with another penalty kill. It was successfully killed but the momentum Bemidji built with the advantage carried over into an even strength goal. LaMere stopped a long shot through traffic. She couldn’t stop the rebound as Bailey Wright emerged from the blocker side scrum and gave BSU a two goal cushion.
| pd | time | buckeye goal scorer (assists) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 16:35 | Dana Rasmussen (Dani Sadek, Cara Zubko) |
The Beaver goal jump started the Buckeyes and the physical back-and-forth play of the first period resumed. Julianna Iafallo had OSU’s best chance of the night, trying to follow up on a Lauren Boyle shot. She was denied by Brittni Mowat but drew a penalty on the Beavers.
The Bucks’ power play unit was able to set up some decent shots but they were thwarted at every turn by the dedicated Bemidji defenders. Like BSU Ohio State failed to convert with the advantage. However the ramped up offense led to an even strength tally as freshman Dana Rasmussen muscled a shot into the top corner of the net. The goal was her second of the season.
Although the Buckeyes continued to buzz they couldn’t get the equalizer and fell to Bemidji by a final score of 2-1. OSU held onto their shot lead, finishing with 22 to BSU’s 17. Neither team recorded a power play goal. The Bucks went 0-for-4 with the man advantage while the Beavers were 0-for-6.
This was not a terrible game for the Buckeyes. They skated on fairly equal footing with one of the better teams in the country and only lost by a single goal. On the other hand they lacked some crispness in their puck possession and fell victim to penalty trouble once again. Had they been a little more in control we could be talking about a narrow victory instead of a narrow loss.
Still, all in all, I think it was an encouraging game. Ohio State and Bemidji State renew hostilities tomorrow afternoon. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 2pm to better manage traffic around the football game.
