If you recall, earlier today we noted in the series preview that the first goal would be key in the women’s hockey Buckeyes’ battle at North Dakota. Coming into tonight’s game the Fighting Hawks were 13-0-3 when scoring first and 0-13-3 when allowing the first goal. Well, you can make that 0-14-3.
| scoring by period | 1 | 2 | 3 | final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| North Dakota | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Maddy Field made sure the all-important opening goal belonged to Ohio State, hammering home her team-leading tenth tally of the season. Field’s goal was the only rubber to find the back of the net in the opening frame. The Buckeyes held a 1-0 lead at the break.
| buckeye goal scorers (assists) | pd | time |
|---|---|---|
| Maddy Field (unassisted) | 1 | 3:53 |
| PP - Lauren Boyle (Katie Matheny, Jessica Dunne) | 2 | 1:20 |
| Sam Bouley (Jincy Dunne) | 2 | 14:14 |
| PP - Maddy Field (Dani Sadek, Katie Matheny) | 3 | 8:21 |
North Dakota’s Rebekah Kolstad struck quickly out of the intermission, netting a shorthanded goal at the 0:42 mark to tie the score at 1-1. It was one of 12 shots the Fighting Hawks put on net in the second period. UND outshot the Buckeyes by a substantial margin in both the frame (12-4) and the game (34-15) but OSU goalie Kassidy Sauve rose to the challenge. She turned aside 11 shots in the period and 32 overall en route to victory No. 13.
Despite their limited attempts, Sauve’s teammates lit the lamp twice in the middle frame. Lauren Boyle regained the lead for the Bucks with a power play tally. Sam Bouley increased the advantage to 3-1 late in the frame.
A North Dakota rally threatened in the third period. The Hawks’ leading scorer Ryleigh Houston drew her team within a goal of Ohio State. But Field torched UND goalie Lexie Shaw for second time, extending the Buckeye lead to 4-2 and sealing victory for the Scarlet and Gray.
With the win OSU moves to 13-15-5 overall and leapfrogs St. Cloud State into fifth place in the WCHA. Two points earned by the Bucks tomorrow will guarantee they finish in the fifth spot (though there are still other scenarios by which Ohio State could retain that position). The Buckeyes and Fighting Hawks close out the regular season Saturday afternoon at 2pm ET.
