On Friday afternoon the WCHA named Ohio State goaltender Kassidy Sauve, along with rookies Emma Maltais and Tatum Skaggs players of the month for January. On Friday evening those players celebrated the honor by helping the Buckeyes upend No. 1 Wisconsin.
| Scoring by Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 Wisconsin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 6 Ohio State | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Ohio State began by establishing their defensive game. Wisconsin outshot the Bucks 12-2 in the first period but Kassidy Sauve and the OSU defense stood firm. The opening frame ended in a 0-0 deadlock.
| Buckeye Goal Scorer (Assists) | Pd | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Emma Maltais (Tatum Skaggs, Dani Sadek) | 2 | 0:15 |
The Buckeyes’ offense took over in the second period. The Badgers won the opening faceoff but the Bucks quickly turned the advantage around. Freshman phenom Emma Maltais drew first blood for the Scarlet and Gray a mere 15 seconds into the stanza.
The goal was the twelfth of the season for OSU’s leading scorer. Defensive veteran Dani Sadek started the play. Tatum Skaggs, another sensational rookie, contributed the primary assist on the goal.
OSU continued with an aggressive attack, helped along by a pair of power plays. The Buckeyes outshot the Badgers 21-2 in the period. (Yeah, you read that right. It is not a typo. 21-2.)
But despite their best efforts, the Bucks could not build on their early lead. Wisconsin goaltender Kristen Campbell put on a clinic, showing why she ranks among the best in the nation. She surrendered only the one goal.
Ohio State carried its slim 1-0 lead into the final frame. The Buckeyes defended it superbly throughout, from early an penalty kill to Wisconsin's last-ditch extra-attacker assault. Sauve thwarted a dozen shots in the third period en route to a 26 save shutout.
Head coach Nadine Muzerall said last week's disappointing results at Duluth were a big motivator for her team. "We pressed them hard in practice this week because we felt like last weekend should’ve went better. Tonight is a testament to their character to see how they responded after last weekend’s results. They had to play relentless to pull off this win, and I’m incredibly proud of everyone on this team."
The Scarlet and Gray hand the Badgers their first conference loss and just their second overall defeat of the season. The victory brings the Buckeyes' record up to 18-7-4 overall and 11-4-4-3 in the WCHA. Their 18 wins ties for the third-most victories by the program in a single season. The team record is 20 wins.
The Bucks and Badgers meet again tomorrow afternoon at 3pm ET. Wisconsin will be looking for revenge. Ohio State seeks its first sweep of Bucky in recent memory (if ever).
- Check out highlights of the win here.
- Ohio State edged Wisconsin 27-26 in shots on goal. Emma Maltais (6) and Maddy Field (5) led the way for the Bucks.
- Both team's penalty kills finished a perfect 2-for-2.
- Tonight's shutout is Kassidy Sauve's eighth of the season. She is tied for second most blankings in the nation, one behind Kristen Campbell.
- With OSU's win and Minnesota's shootout loss to St. Cloud State tonight, the Bucks and Gophers are now tied for second place in the WCHA with 40 points each. Wisconsin retains a 13 point lead.
