Last Week: Split at No. 10 St. Lawrence
Early penalty trouble sank Ohio State last Friday. The Buckeyes rallied but came up a little short in a 3-2 loss. The Scarlet and Gray did more than bounce back in Saturday’s contest. They torched the Saints, 6-2, en route to the program’s 300th win.
Charly Dahlquist (2-2--4), Jincy Dunne (1-2--3), Emma Maltais (1-2--3), Jacyn Reeves (1-2--3), and Tatum Skaggs (2-0--2) recorded multi-point series. Freshman Madison Bizal notched her first point as a Buckeye. Fellow rookie Sara Saekkinen tallied her first collegiate goal.
This Week: Back at Home and Back in Conference vs. St. Cloud State
| Game Info | Friday | Saturday |
|---|---|---|
| Opening Faceoff | 6pm ET | 3pm ET |
| Online Video | BTN Plus ($) | BTN Plus ($) |
Scoring wasn’t St. Cloud’s strong suit last season. The Huskies averaged 1.58 goals per game. (Ohio State shut them out in three of the teams’ four meetings.) While the team’s roster didn’t undergo a significant change this year, St. Cloud has seen a marked improvement on the scoreboard.
| Team Stats | St. Cloud State | Ohio State |
|---|---|---|
| Records | 4-6-0, 2-4-0-0 WCHA | 7-3-0, 3-1-0-0 WCHA |
| National Polls | N/A | No. 4 / No. 4 |
| Avg, Goals For / Against | 2.40 / 2.90 | 2.90 / 2.20 |
| Power Play / Penalty Kill | 23.8% / 70.6% | 8.0% / 91.1% |
| Leading Goal Scorer | Hallie Theodosopoulos (6) | Tatum Skaggs (6) |
| Points Leader | Julia Tylke (13) | Emma Maltais (15) |
| Top Goaltender | Emma Polusny (3.02/.928) | Andrea Braendli (1.86/.947) |
The Huskies are already up to 21 goals in 2018-19. They had a grand total of 52 last season. St. Cloud still isn’t likely to blow anyone out of the water. The team generally posts two or fewer goals per game, but it’s enough offense for a hot goalie to steal a win and St. Cloud boasts two capable netminders in Janine Alder and Emma Polusny.
The Huskies roll into Columbus this week fresh off a series split with then-No. 5 Minnesota-Duluth. St. Cloud was heavily outshot in each game (41-16 and 50-21). Big performances from the team’s goaltenders kept the Huskies in contention. Julia Tylke and Hannah Potrykus each netted a pair of goals in the series.
Special teams have been a bit of a double-edged sword for the Buckeyes of late, but they could be a key factor in this week’s series. Neither of St. Cloud’s goalies give up much at even strength, a little less than one 5-on-5 goal per game. Plus the Huskies’ penalty kill is not great. This would be a good time for OSU’s power play to get off the schneid.
Parking is pretty jacked up this week so if you’re headed out to the rink be sure to get the lowdown on the situation from OSU.
- This week's interviews come from Nadine Muzerall, Jincy Dunne, and Sara Saekkinen.
Around the WCHA
| WCHA Standings | W | L | T | SOW | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 2 Minnesota | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 16 |
| No. 7 Minn.-Duluth | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| No. 4 Ohio State | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| No. 1 Wisconsin | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Minnesota State | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| St. Cloud State | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Bemidji State | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Last week Minnesota and Wisconsin split a hotly contested and highly entertaining series. Duluth and St. Cloud split a couple of one-goal games. Minnesota State took five out of six points from Bemidji State.
Wisconsin retained its No. 1 ranking in both national polls. Minnesota moved up to No. 2. Ohio State held steady at No. 4. Duluth dropped to No. 7.
This week the conference’s top teams square off against those at the bottom of the standings. The Badgers visit the Mavericks. The Gophers host the Beavers. And, of course, the Buckeyes welcome the Huskies. Duluth skates an exhibition match against the Minnesota Whitecaps.
