The women’s hockey Buckeyes make it five straight weeks of inclusion in the conference honors. Jincy Dunne is your new WCHA Defenseman of the Week, Powered by GoodWood Hockey. It is the first conference award of the season for the O’Fallon, Missouri native and her second career nod.
| Women's Hockey | Week | Awards and Accolades |
|---|---|---|
| Andrea Braendli, Fr. G | No. 3 | WCHA Rookie of the Week |
| Andrea Braendli, Fr. G | No. 4 | WCHA Goalie of the Week |
| Charly Dahlquist, Sr. F | No. 5 | WCHA Forward of the Week |
| Emma Maltais, So. F | No. 5 | WCHA Forward of the Month |
| Emma Maltais, So. F | No. 6 | WCHA Forward of the Week |
| Jincy Dunne, Sr. D | No. 7 | WCHA Defenseman of the Week |
Dunne’s efforts on behalf of the Buckeye defense deserve noting even though last week’s results do not. The Bucks’ blue line iron woman logs about a zillion tough minutes. They are spent harassing and containing the best players the Bucks’ opponents have to offer. She blocks shots like she’s made of titanium and chips in offensively. Yet she is rarely recognized for her work.
The senior defender posted two assists against Bemidji State and blocked five shots. The helpers were her tenth and eleventh of the season. Dunne ranks first among all NCAA defensemen in assists (11) and is tied for the top spot in points by a blueliner (12).
All three other WCHA honorees hailed from Bemidji State this week, Abby Halluska (forward), Kerigan Dowhy (goaltender), and Graysen Myers (rookie). Three Buckeyes, Emma Maltais (forward), Andrea Braendli (goalie), and Sophie Jaques (rookie) earned honorable mentions for this week’s conference awards.
Dunne and the Buckeyes (9-5-0, 5-3-0-0 WCHA) are back in action later this week hosting No. 7/8 Minnesota-Duluth (5-4-1, 3-4-1-1 WCHA). Friday's game is set for a 6pm ET start. Saturday's opening faceoff is at 1pm ET.
Rankings Watch
After being swept by Bemidji State, Ohio State slides from No. 4 to No. 7 in both the USCHO and USA Today/USA Hockey polls. Fellow WCHA-ers Wisconsin and Minnesota remain at No. 1 and No. 2. Minnesota-Duluth improves slightly. The Bulldogs are still No. 8 in the USA Today poll but move up into a tie with the Buckeyes for No. 7 in the USCHO poll. All three teams, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Duluth, were idle last week.
