Like last night’s game, this contest began with a scoreless opening period. Though neither team found the back of the net, it was an active 20 minutes. The teams combined for 23 shots on goal, distributed among 20 different players. Senior goalie Kayla Black (Minnesota-Duluth) and freshman tender Kassidy Sauve (Ohio State) turned them all aside.
| goals by period | 1 | 2 | 3 | final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 8 Minnesota-Duluth | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Ohio State | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
The second period was a special teams battle. Lauren Spring put Ohio State on the board first with a power play strike. The goal was the freshman’s second of the season. She was helped on the play by Alexa Ranahan and Cara Zubko. OSU would have two more man advantages in the frame but failed to convert either.
The Bulldogs drew even with OSU on Zoe Hickel’s even strength tally. They pulled ahead thanks to a Meghan Huertas shorthanded marker. Katerina Mrazova extended Duluth’s lead late in the period, scoring shortly after the conclusion of a UMD power play.
The Buckeyes continued to battle in the final frame, but were hampered in their efforts by a spate of penalties. Head coach Nate Handrahan pulled Sauve for the extra attacker in the waning minutes of the game. The ladies weren’t able to take advantage of the numbers. Duluth’s Jenna McParland hit the empty net to cement a victory for UMD.
At the end of the day the special teams line for OSU read 1 for 6 on the power play with one shorthanded goal allowed and a clean 5 for 5 on kills. This has been a challenging area for the Buckeyes throughout the season and one that needs to improve dramatically if the team is to be competitive going forward.
| per | time | buckeye goal scorer (assists) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2:32 | Lauren Spring - PP (Alexa Ranahan, Cara Zubko) |
With the results around the rest of the conference this weekend, Ohio State slides to sixth spot in the WCHA. The Bucks own 18 points, three fewer than North Dakota and one back of Bemidji State. Duluth is now the conference’s third place team with 25 points.
The Buckeyes have a bye next week. Then they travel to No. 9 Bemidji State in their final series before their holiday break.
