The 2016-17 season came to an end today for the women’s hockey Buckeyes as they were eliminated by North Dakota in the first round of the WCHA tournament. Although Ohio State rallied in the third period and forced overtime, the Fighting Hawks advanced with a goal 9:08 into the extra session.
| scoring by period | 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| North Dakota | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
The final contest in the best-of-three series between the Bucks and Hawks was a closely contested one. Shots were fairly even through regulation. UND held a 33-29 edge for the game.
North Dakota led early on a first period goal by Kayla Gardner. This was the only score posted by either side until Maddy Field finished a pass from Julianna Iafallo to tie things up with about nine minutes to go in the game. In overtime the Hawks had the upper hand, outshooting the Buckeyes 6-2. Emma Nuutinen potted the winning tally to send UND to the conference semifinals.
| buckeye goal scorer (assist) | pd | time |
|---|---|---|
| Maddy Field (Julianna Iafallo) | 3 | 10:43 |
You might hear “fifth place” and “eliminated in the first round” and be tempted to think this a season of failure for Ohio State. If you did, you’d be wrong. The Buckeyes faced an uncommon amount of adversity this year, but they rose above their difficult situation and surpassed all preseason expectations.
The Buckeyes began 2016-17 by welcoming their third head coach in the last three seasons. Head coach Nadine Muzerall and associate head coach Jess Koizumi joined the program just three weeks before opening day. They inherited a roster in severe disarray.
Twelve players departed following the 2015-16 season due to either graduation or transfer. That group included both the team’s leading scorer and top shot blocker. Although 2016-17 brought an eager crop of freshmen as well as handful of incoming transfers, Ohio State’s entire roster this year consisted of only 20 players, three of which were goaltenders.
Even in complete health the team couldn’t fill a line chart. (And they have not been fully healthy all year.) Of those 20 players, not many were battle-tested. Only seven of this year’s Buckeyes skated in 30+ games in both 2015-16 and 2016-17. Now add to these internal challenges the difficulty of playing in the toughest league in women’s college hockey. The stage was set for a disastrous season.
But instead of being overwhelmed by their circumstances, the scrappy Buckeyes battled hard all year and won the three-way fight for fifth place in the WCHA. This was two spots higher than predicted by the preseason poll and one better than I forecasted. It also equaled the team’s best conference finishes since 2006-07.
Along the way the Bucks went the distance with both No. 1 Wisconsin and No. 3 Minnesota, falling to the Badgers in one shootout but downing the Gophers in another. They claimed conference points from six of their seven WCHA foes including those two juggernauts. Ohio State was undefeated (6-0-0) in non-conference action. The Scarlet and Gray wrapped up the season with a 14-17-5 record, bettering last season’s 10-25-1 mark.
Four Bucks - Jessica Dunne, Maddy Field, Breanne Grant, and Julianna Iafallo - set personal season best point totals this year. Rookies Sam Bouley and Rebecca Freiburger tied for the team lead in scoring among freshmen with six goals and four assists each. OSU’s offense was unstoppable in non-conference games, outscoring its opponents by a combined 24-1.
With respect to those notable offensive achievements, Ohio State’s success this year was largely due to the team’s defensive efforts. The Buckeyes ended the regular season as the NCAA’s sixth best shot-blocking team. Dani Sadek (81) and Jessica Dunne (76) were No. 3 and No. 5, respectively, among the country’s top individual shot blockers. Jincy Dunne (70) led all freshmen in blocks.
OSU went on an impressive 16 game run this season during which they did not allow a single power play goal. Committed shot blocking was one reason for that impressive achievement. Of course, Kassidy Sauve was an enormous factor in that streak as well.
It is impossible to overstate the impact the redshirt sophomore goaltender had on Ohio State this season. Sauve set a new team record for saves in a single season. When 2016-17 was all said and done, she had stopped 1,135 shots. In addition to topping the Buckeye charts, those saves rank her No. 6 among the NCAA’s all-time single season saves leaders.
Sauve finished the season with a 2.00 GAA and .942 save percentage. She was one of the NCAA’s save percentage leaders, ranking in the top 3 going into today’s contest. The pride of Whitby, Ontario held opponents to two or fewer goals in 22 contests this season despite often facing twice as many shots per game as the opposing netminder. Sauve gave the game, though struggling Buckeye offense a chance to win almost every night. Take a look at a few of her highlight reel saves from the season.
.@ksauve32 has made 934 saves this season, 139 more than anyone else in @NCAAIceHockey. #GoBucks https://t.co/cOJwoMTRIQ
— Ohio State W Hockey (@OhioState_WHKY) February 7, 2017
So don’t make the mistake of thinking this wasn’t a notable year for the Buckeyes. They exceeded expectations under incredibly challenging circumstances. They also showed growth both individually and as a team.
Barring unforeseen transfers, nine of Ohio State’s top ten scorers are back next season along with the entirety of the defense and the full platoon of goaltenders. The Bucks will also welcome some exciting recruits. I don’t know about you, but I look forward to seeing what Muzerall and company can do with a full roster and an entire offseason to prepare.
