Today, for the first time in many weeks, Ohio State iced a full complement of defensemen. Sophomore Jessica Dunne made her first appearance of the season and senior Bryanna Neuwald saw her first game action since the middle of November. However the news wasn’t all good as the team had to fend without shot blocking machine Alexa Ranahan.
| scoring by period | 1 | 2 | 3 | final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penn State | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Ohio State | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
While the rear guard was bolstered the front lines took a hit. The Buckeyes dressed only eight forwards for the game. Claudia Kepler, second on the team in goals and total points, and all-around useful veteran Julia McKinnon were scratches for the Scarlet and Gray.
Ohio State got off to a solid start. By the first intermission break the Bucks enjoyed a 1-0 lead, courtesy of rookie defenseman Lauren Boyle. The goal was the first collegiate tally for OSU’s top assister.
In the second period the wear and tear of the game seemed to be getting to the Buckeyes. Their shortened bench issues were compounded by back to back OSU fouls. The penalty killers successfully fended off the Nittany Lions’ attack both times but eventually Penn State’s building momentum resulted in a game tying goal at 11:42 of the frame.
| pd | time | buckeye goal scorers (assists) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7:00 | Lauren Boyle (Kendall Curtis, Cara Zubko) |
| 2 | 13:32 | Jessica Dunne (Lauren Boyle) |
The Bucks dug deep into their energy reserves for a response. A few shifts after relinquishing the lead, Jessica Dunne struck. The defenseman threaded a shot through Lauren Spring’s crossing screen and past Penn State goalie Celine Whitlinger. The tally was also Dunne’s first collegiate goal.
Ohio State continued to make things difficult for itself, taking a number of penalties in the third periods. The struggle began with Breanne Grant’s major and misconduct for checking from behind. Before that penalty was killed the Buckeyes were whistled twice more.
Fortunately Penn State did not capitalize on these opportunities. The Nittany Lions weren’t much more disciplined, negating one of the Buckeyes’ penalties with a foul of their own and actually putting OSU on the power play midway through the period.
PSU made one final push with the extra attacker on but Buckeye goalie Alex LaMere was stood tall. The sophomore tender stopped 20 shots in the game, earning her fifth win of the season. Whitlinger made 12 saves for Penn State. Seven of them came in the first period. You can do the math on the offensive output of Ohio State over the final twenty minutes.
All in all this game was typical of a post-winter break contest, sloppy and choppy. Ohio State did what it had to do to secure victory. A win’s a win. They can’t all be pretty, especially not with fourteen skaters on the bench.
The Buckeyes and Nittany Lions conclude their series tomorrow afternoon. Opening faceoff is set for 2:07 p.m at the OSU Ice Rink. Fans not able to attend the game can stream it online with a Buckeye Vision subscription.
