Last Week
The Buckeyes battled No. 3 Minnesota to a series split. The Gophers powered to a 3-0 win on Friday. Freshman goalie Andrea Braendli made a career-high 44 saves in the loss.
Excellent special teams and a second outstanding effort from Braendli propelled Ohio State to victory in Saturday’s contest and an overall series split. Sophie Jaques, Emma Maltais, and Maddy Field scored in the win.
This Week
| Game Info | Friday | Saturday |
|---|---|---|
| Opening Faceoff | 6pm ET | 3pm ET |
| Online Video | ESPN+ ($) | ESPN+ ($) |
Ohio State continues its tour of the top-10 with a trip to Canton, New York for a non-conference clash with No. 10 St. Lawrence. The Saints are 3-4-1 on the season. Six of those eight games were decided in overtime including a victory over then-No. 1 Clarkson and two losses to No. 6 Boston College.
| Team Stats | Ohio State | St. Lawrence |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Record | 6-2-0 | 3-4-1 |
| National Polls | No. 4 | No. 10 |
| Avg. Goals For / Against | 2.62 / 2.25 | 1.50 / 1.88 |
| Power Play / Penalty Kill | 9.1% / 96.9% | 8.3% / 94.7% |
| Leading Goal Scorer | Tatum Skaggs (4) | Reyes, Wozney (3) |
| Points Leader | Emma Maltais (9) | Justine Reyes (6) |
| Top Goaltender | Andrea Braendli (1.79/.950) | Grace Harrison (1.47/.950) |
St. Lawrence doesn’t give much away. The Saints have held their opponents to two or fewer goals on seven occasions. The team is backstopped by a pair of stingy senior netminders. Grace Harrison (1.47/.950) boasts more wins but Sonjia Shelly (1.93/.923) is barely more generous.
The Saints’ weakness is a lack of scoring. The team averages just 1.50 goals per game. Justine Reyes and Natalie Wozney each own three goals. Rachael Smith has a pair. No other Saint has scored more than one.
St. Lawrence keeps it locked down defensively and the Saints are unbeaten at home (2-0-1). This is going to be a tough series. But the Bucks are just as battle-tested as the Saints. And OSU has a lot of firepower to defend against, not to mention a miserly goaltender of its own. I’d be surprised if this wasn’t at least a split for Ohio State.
- Listen to pre-series interviews with head coach Nadine Muzerall and freshman Sophie Jaques.
Around the WCHA
| WCHA Standings | W | L | T | SOW | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 3 Minnesota | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 13 |
| No. 4 Ohio State | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| No. 5 Minnesota-Duluth | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| No. 1 Wisconsin | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Minnesota State | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| St. Cloud State | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Bemidji State | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Life rolls on as expected in college hockey’s toughest conference. Last week Minnesota-Duluth swept Bemidji State. Minnesota State split with St. Cloud. Ohio State and Minnesota also split. Wisconsin also won a pair of games in non-conference action vs. Princeton.
The WCHA remains solidly entrenched in the national rankings. After Clarkson’s upset, the Badgers take over the No. 1 spot. The Gophers, Buckeyes, and Bulldogs hold steady in third, fourth, and fifth.
Outside of Ohio State, everyone plays in conference this week. MSU is at Bemidji. Duluth visits St. Cloud. The big match-up is a Saturday-Sunday series between the Gophers and Badgers.
