I worried after last night's win that I jinxed Ohio State by pointing out the team was undefeated against the Gophers this year. Turns out I need not have worried. In today's season series finale the Buckeyes dominated Minnesota early and rode the wave of momentum to a big 5-1 win.
| Scoring by Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 5/6 Minnesota | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| No. 7 Ohio State | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
Tatum Skaggs got the party started with an unassisted goal at the 7:25 mark of the first period. Thirty seconds later fellow freshman Liz Schepers staked the Bucks to a 2-0 lead. OSU kept the Gophers on the run for the remainder of the frame, even though they didn’t add to their lead. The teams combined for 40 shot attempts (on goal + missed + blocked) in the first period. A full 70% of them belonged to the Buckeyes.
| Buckeye Goal Scorers (Assists) | Pd | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Tatum Skaggs (unassisted) | 1 | 7:25 |
| Liz Schepers (Julianna Iafallo) | 1 | 7:55 |
| Maddy Field (Lauren Spring) | 2 | 9:21 |
| Rebecca Freiburger (Lauren Spring) | 2 | 9:47 |
| Maddy Field (unassisted) | 3 | 17:50 |
Ohio State didn’t add to its lead before the break. However, the awesome momentum built by the team in the opening twenty minutes carried over into a productive second period. Another pair of back-to-back goals, from Maddy Field and Rebecca Freiburger, stretched the Buckeye advantage to 4-0. The Bucks shaved four ticks off their earlier turnaround time, scoring twice in a 26 second span.
The fourth OSU goal chased Gopher starter Alex Gulstene from the net. Sidney Peters came on in relief. Sydney Baldwin spoiled Kassidy Sauve’s shutout bid with a score midway through the third period. But Field restored the Bucks’ four goal advantage with an unassisted tally. Ohio State sweeps Minnesota this week and takes the season series with a 3-0-1-1 record.
The Buckeyes are now 17-5-4 overall and 10-2-4-3 in the WCHA. They are a solid second place in the standings with a five point cushion over the third place Gophers. Today's victory also significantly strengthens the Bucks' NCAA tournament chances. If the WCHA sends a second team to the tourney (and, barring catastrophe, it will) that team should be Ohio State.
OSU heads out to Duluth next week for the second to last road trip of the regular season. The Bucks will need to stay sharp against the trigger happy Bulldogs. Games are currently scheduled for 4pm ET on both Friday and Saturday.
- Ohio State edged Minnesota in shots, 26-24, topped by Maddy Field's seven tries.
- The Bucks blocked another nine shots in today's contest. Lauren Boyle led the way with three.
- The updated WCHA standings are as follows: Wisconsin 47 points, Ohio State 37, Minnesota 32, Bemidji State 24, Minnesota-Duluth 21, St. Cloud State 16, Minnesota State 3.
