The women’s hockey Buckeyes survived a battle with No. 5/6 Minnesota-Duluth on Friday night. In the end, the Scarlet and Gray pulled off the win with support from their veterans and a lot of help from All-American goalie Kassidy Sauve. Five games into the 2017-18 season, No. 7 Ohio State remains undefeated.
| Scoring by Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 5/6 Minnesota-Duluth | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 7 Ohio State | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
The first 20 minutes of the game were closely contested. The Buckeyes held a slight edge in shots on goal (7-6), a greater advantage in shots attempted (about 16-9), and a big lead in power play opportunities (2-0). The Bucks cashed in on their second advantage as Maddy Field netted her third goal of the season.
| Buckeye Goal Scorers (Assists) | Pd | Time |
|---|---|---|
| PP - Maddy Field (Tatum Skaggs, Jincy Dunne) | 1 | 15:00 |
| Julianna Iafallo (Jacyn Reeves) | 3 | 16:02 |
The ice tilted sharply in the Bulldogs’ favor in the second period. Duluth outshot Ohio State 13-4 in the frame and skated a total of 7:12 on the power play. Buckeye netminder Kassidy Sauve neutralized the danger, though, and OSU retained its 1-0 lead going into the third period.
The Buckeyes still have the lead thanks to this huge save from Kassidy Sauve! #SCtop10 #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/JBg8nDhdAQ
— Ohio State W Hockey (@OhioState_WHKY) October 13, 2017
Minnesota-Duluth continued to get rubber to the net in the third period. Which was where the rubber met the Sauve and stopped. The stellar Ontarian fended off another 16 shots in the final frame.
In the latter minutes of the game senior Julianna Iafallo cemented a Buckeye win by notching her second goal of the year. The home team prevailed by a final score of 2-0. With the victory OSU improves to 4-0-1 overall and 2-0-1-1 in the WCHA.
Sauve stopped 35 shots in all and picked up a well-deserved fourteenth career shutout. It was a big day for the Buckeye penalty killers. They held Duluth 0-for-5 with the advantage. OSU’s power play went 1-for-3. Overall the Bulldogs outshot the Bucks 35-18.
Ohio State and Minnesota-Duluth return to the Ice Rink tomorrow afternoon to conclude their weekend series. Opening faceoff is set for about 3pm ET. Admission is free. Following the game the OSU women will sign autographs and host the first Skate with the Buckeyes of the season. Skate rentals are available at the Ice Rink for $3.00.
