No. 5 Ohio State and No. 8 Colgate resumed hostilities at the OSU Ice Rink on Saturday. Both teams made changes in goal for this one. OSU freshman Andrea Braendli took over for Amanda Zeglen. Junior Liz Auby spelled Julia Vandyk for Colgate. I assume the moves were to rest the netminders after the shooting gallery they faced on Friday. If so, then the coaches’ decisions were wise ones. Saturday’s contest was another scorcher.
| Scoring by Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 8 Colgate | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| No. 5 Ohio State | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
The first period was all Buckeyes. And I do mean all. Ohio State completely dominated the opening frame. The Bucks led in 19-8 in shots on goal. They led 6-0 in blocked shots and 18-5 in faceoff wins (including an 8-2 record for Charly Dahlquist and a perfect 6-0 by freshman Gabby Rosenthal).
| Buckeye Goal Scorers | Pd | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Liz Schepers (Maddy Field, Jincy Dunne) | 1 | 7:33 |
| Tatum Skaggs (Emma Maltais) | 1 | 10:09 |
The Buckeyes also led where it counts, on the scoreboard. Liz Schepers drew first blood for the Scarlet and Gray at the 7:33 mark. Then, in less time than it’s taking you to read about it, Tatum Skaggs finished off a 2-on-1 rush with Emma Maltais. The Bucks held a two-goal lead at the first intermission.
| Buckeye Line Chart | vs No. 8 Colgate | Saturday, October 6 |
|---|---|---|
| Forwards | ||
| Emma Maltais | Charly Dahlquist | Tatum Skaggs |
| Liz Schepers | Gabby Rosenthal | Maddy Field |
| Jacyn Reeves | Paetyn Levis | Rebecca Freiburger |
| Samantha Bouley | Olivia Soares | |
| Defense | Goalies | |
| Jincy Dunne | Madison Bizal | Amanda Braendli |
| Elise Riemenschneider | Lauren Boyle | Amanda Zeglen |
| Sophie Jaques | Lisa Bruno | Lynsey Wallace |
| DNP: Erin Langermeier | Sara Saekkinen | Eve Savander |
Colgate rallied out of the break. The Raiders not only climbed out of their two-goal hole, they took the lead with three unanswered goals. Ohio State was outshot 14-4 in the frame and registered only one shot attempt in the final seven minutes of the period.
Whether the Buckeyes got complacent with the lead or just tired in the middle of an exhausting series, I don’t know. But whatever the reason the Bucks let the little details of the game slip away. Colgate took over the game from the faceoff dot out. The Raiders outdrew Ohio State 16-9 in the second period. Faceoff wins directly contributed to both of their even-strength goals.
The Bucks got back on the horse and battled Colgate to the finish in a hotly contested third period. But try as they might, they couldn’t raise another goal. Auby defended her net superbly and her teammates were down blocking shots like this was a title game. The Raiders padded the score with a couple of late goals and won by a final score of 5-2.
The first loss of the season is never fun. Ditto, any game where you can negatively apply the phrase “five unanswered goals.” But it’s not the end of the world. It’s a reminder of what it takes to belong among the elite teams in the nation.
At times in this series, Ohio State showed a champ’s relentlessness and commitment to making the “small” plays. The Bucks just have to be a little better at maintaining those winning traits. It’ll happen. Maybe as early as next week when OSU dives into conference play by hosting Minnesota State.
- The Buckeyes edged the Raiders, 40-37, in shots for the game.
- Maddy Field and Jacyn Reeves led Ohio State with six shots each.
- Shots on goal were a slightly insane 85-69 in favor of OSU for the series.
- Eleven different Bucks recorded a block in the contest, topped by Jincy Dunne's four.
- OSU's power play was held scoreless in three tries today. The team is now 1-for-14 on the season.
- Making her first collegiate start in net, Buckeye freshman Andrea Braendli made 32 saves on 36 shots.
