Ohio State women’s hockey opens its 2018-19 campaign tonight in a non-conference battle with Quinnipiac. The Bobcats went 16-17-3 last season, finishing fifth in the ECAC. They return a large portion of their scoring this year and add four rookies who skated with Team Canada’s U18 squad. This series should be a solid early test for the Buckeyes. Quinnipiac is one of four non-conference foes the Bucks will face this season. The Bobcats are the only one of those four not currently ranked or receiving votes in the national polls.
| Game Info | Friday | Saturday |
|---|---|---|
| Opening Faceoff | 6pm ET | 2pm ET |
| Streaming Video | ESPN.com ($) | ESPN.com ($) |
Looking Back
2017-18 was a banner year for the Ohio State women’s hockey program. The team finished second in the WCHA and set school records for overall (24) and conference wins (14). The Buckeyes made the NCAA tournament for the first time ever. Then they advanced to the Frozen Four. They went toe-to-toe with eventual national champ Clarkson before falling in a 1-0 overtime heartbreaker.
| WCHA Preseason Coaches' Poll |
|---|
| T-1. Wisconsin |
| T-1. Minnesota |
| 3. Ohio State |
| 4. Minnesota-Duluth |
| 5. Bemidji State |
| 6. St. Cloud State |
| 7. Minnesota State |
GOATing Going Gone
The vast majority of that Buckeye team returns this season, looking to prove their success was no Olympic-year fluke. This biggest obstacle to that goal is the gaping Kassidy Sauve-shaped hole in net. The greatest goaltender in Buckeye hockey history transferred to Clarkson to begin her graduate studies and play out her final year of eligibility. (No doubt the championship banner raising is gonna be awkward.)
Ohio State now has three netminders vying for the starter’s job. Returning sophomore Amanda Zeglen has the most collegiate experience of the bunch. She posted respectable numbers in a handful of appearances last season. Sophomore Lynsey Wallace has yet to grace the Buckeye net.
| USCHO Preseason National Poll |
|---|
| 1. Clarkson |
| 2. Wisconsin |
| 3. Minnesota |
| 4. Boston College |
| 5. Colgate |
| 6. Cornell |
| 7. Ohio State |
| 8. Northeastern |
| 9. Minnesota-Duluth |
| 10. Mercyhurst |
21 year old freshman Andrea Braendli might be the frontrunner for the position, though. She is a long time member of Swiss national teams. Most recently she backed up Florence Schelling and Janine Alder at the 2018 Winter Olympics. (In case you didn't know, that's pretty impressive company.)
More Goodbyes
Sauve’s loss wasn’t the only significant hit to the OSU roster. The Bucks also bid farewell to senior Dani Sadek who was half of their premier defensive pairing, and some top notch leadership in seniors Julianna Iafallo and Lauren Spring. The coaching staff didn’t escape the offseason unscathed either. Associate head coach, power play mastermind, and recruiter extraordinaire Peter Elander decided to step away from hockey.
Welcome, European Delegation
Looking to fill the gaps in the Buckeye roster are seven rookies, including the aforementioned Braendli. And she isn’t the only newcomer with international experience. Forward Sara Saekkinen has been a Finnish national team fixture since 2014. She won bronze medals with Team Finland at both the 2017 IIHF Women’s World Championship and the 2018 Winter Olympics. Defender and fellow Finn Eve Savander is also a veteran of her country's U18 teams.
Welcome, Minnesotan Delegation
Defender Madison Bizal won gold with Team USA at the IIHF U18 Women’s Championship. The Elk River, Minnesota native also won All-State honors two years running and was a finalist for Minnesota’s prestigious Ms. Hockey award.
Fellow Minnesotan Gabby Rosenthal is also a two-time All-State selection and the recipient of multiple leadership honors including the Hobey Baker Character Award. Sniper Peyton Levis earned two All-State honorable mentions while racking up a school record 197 points and 139 career goals at Rogers High School.
Welcome, Canadian Delegation
Defender Sophie Jaques comes to Columbus from the Toronto Jr. Aeros, a team which has developed a few players you might have heard of, like former Duluth Bulldogs Haley Irwin and Jenna McParland and Buckeyes Amber Bowman, Christina Mancuso, and Breanne Grant.
Ohio State also welcomes Andrew Cassels as interim associate head coach. Although he has no previous collegiate coaching experience, he possesses loads of hockey cred. The former Blue Jacket tallied 732 points in an NHL career spanning 16 years and 1,000+ games. “Having an opportunity to coach at this level itself is great, but being asked to join The Ohio State University is truly an honor,” Cassels said. “Opportunities like this don’t come around that often and I’m incredibly excited by the prospect of coaching at this level.”
Welcome Back...Almost Everyone
OSU’s rookies join an already strong veteran core. Seventeen Buckeyes return from last season’s Frozen Four squad. Six of the team’s top seven scorers are back, led by the trio of Emma Maltais, Tatum Skaggs, and Charly Dahlquist. As OSU’s top line they tormented opponents last season, combining to register 100 points (47 goals and 53 assists). Senior Maddy Field and sophomore Liz Schepers provide additional scoring depth. All-American defender Jincy Dunne anchors the blue line once again.
National Pride
While the college season is about to get underway, three Buckeyes have already been on the ice in competitive action. Maltais was invited to Team Canada’s August selection camp. There, under the eye of Canadian and OSU head coach Nadine Muzerall, she and her countrywomen engaged Team USA in a couple summer skirmishes. Representing for both the Scarlet and Gray and the Red, White, and Blue were Buckeye defenders Dunne and Lauren Boyle.
All three players made an impact in the series. Dunne and Maltais each recorded a goal and an assist. Dunne and Boyle, skating together as a defensive pair, helped keep the Canadians at bay in the series finale and ensured an American victory.
Looking Ahead
The WCHA coaches predict a third place finish for the Bucks this season behind perennial favorites Wisconsin and Minnesota. USCHO has them at No. 7 in the preseason poll. If those forecasts are correct, this will be another fantastic year for Ohio State.
The Buckeyes could do a little better, particularly if the Badgers or Gophers run into chemistry issues. With Olympic centralization over, a lot of talent returns to the Wisconsin and Minnesota rosters. But it has been a long time since those players skated together competitively. The Bucks could also face a stiff challenge for the third spot from Minnesota-Duluth and returning Olympic gold medal winning goalie Maddie Rooney.
At the end of the day, though I expect that the 2018-19 season will be another good one for Ohio State. The Buckeyes may or may not be in the mix for WCHA crown but I think they will contend for another NCAA tournament berth. And if they get there, battle-hardened by a tough non-conference schedule and the WCHA gauntlet, then their opponents better watch out.
