The women’s hockey Buckeyes kicked off their season in fine fashion on Friday with a 4-1 win over visiting Rensselaer. Ohio State took a 1-0 lead midway through the first period. Rookies Tatum Skaggs and Emma Maltais hooked up on a 2-on-1 with Skaggs netting the goal. These were the first collegiate points for both freshmen.
| scoring by period | 1 | 2 | 3 | final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rensselaer | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Ohio State | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
Not to be upstaged by the newcomers, leading returning scorer Maddy Field increased the Buckeyes’ advantage in the middle frame. Less than two minutes out of the intermission break, Field finished off a feed from junior transfer Grace Zarzecki to put OSU up 2-0.
Heading into the third period with “the most dangerous lead in hockey”, the Bucks displayed a winner’s killer instinct. They put the pedal down early in the stanza and ensured an opening night victory. Zarzecki charged out of the second intermission with her first goal as a Buckeye. Fellow transfer Charly Dahlquist provided an assist on the play. Minutes later Skaggs and Maltais teamed up for another goal, Skaggs’ second of the night.
| pd | time | buckeye goal scorers (assists) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11:26 | Tatum Skaggs (Emma Maltais, Lauren Boyle) |
| 2 | 1:34 | Maddy Field (Grace Zarzecki, Dani Sadek) |
| 3 | 0:57 | Grace Zarzecki (Charly Dahlquist, Dani Sadek) |
| 3 | 3:39 | Tatum Skaggs (Emma Maltais, Lisa Bruno) |
Rensselaer got on the board at the 10:32 mark of the third period when Whitney Renn snuck a puck past Kassidy Sauve. Renn’s goal came on just the third shot of the frame for the Engineers. Overall RPI posted 26 shots to Ohio State’s 40. Sauve made 25 saves as she and the Buckeyes recorded their first victory of the season.
The Bucks and Engineers meet again tomorrow afternoon to wrap up their weekend series. Opening faceoff at the OSU Ice Rink is set for 3pm. Admission is free. Fans not attending the game can stream it online with a Buckeye Vision subscription.
