Tuesday brought two notable news items concerning Ohio State women’s hockey. First is the announcement that goaltender extraordinaire Kassidy Sauve earned nod as the WCHA’s Defensive Player of the Week. This is the third weekly award for the redshirt sophomore and another well-deserved recognition.
Sauve was spectacular in net for Ohio State’s tie and win over No. 9 North Dakota last week. She stopped 85 of 87 shots in the series, holding the Fighting Hawks to a single goal in each game. The Whitby, Ontario native has the best save percentage in the NCAA among regular starters (.952) and ranks in the top ten in GAA (1.73). All of this as the backstop for a team expected to have no success to speak of this season.
In other fantastic news, Jincy Dunne garnered an invite to Team USA’s training camp. The Buckeye defenseman is in the midst of a standout rookie season. She is a key contributor to the team, sitting in second place on the OSU points chart with two goals and seven assists. Most impressively, Dunne has racked up 39 blocked shots, more than any other freshman in the nation.
The United States' camp takes place December 12-15 in Michigan. A team will then be selected for a pair of tilts against arch-rival Canada the following weekend. The winter camp also helps determine Team USA’s roster for the IIHF Women’s World Championship in April. If Dunne survives the final cuts this month there is a good chance that she will represent her country at the Worlds as well.
Sauve, Dunne, and the Buckeyes are 5-2-1 in their last eight games. They are back in action this weekend hosting No. 1 Wisconsin. Games are scheduled for 6pm ET on Friday and 3pm ET on Saturday. Admission and parking for the women’s hockey games is free.
- Shout out to Buckeye forward Sam Bouley who earned an honorable mention for the conference’s Rookie of the Week and Ohio State women’s hockey Director of Operations Nick Laurila, tabbed as head video coordinator for Team USA.
