Ohio State head coach Nadine Muzerall was looking for increased focus, fire, and passion from her team against No. 8 Minnesota-Duluth. She also wanted “ugly” goals. The Buckeyes delivered on both counts as they soundly defeated the Bulldogs.
| Scoring by Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 7/8 Minn.-Duluth | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| No. 7 Ohio State | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
Both teams came out firing. They posted a combined 31 shots in the first period. Ohio State held a 20-11 advantage, but Duluth got on the board first. At the 6:22 mark, Jalyn Elmes finished off a centering pass for a power play goal.
| Buckeye Goal Scorers (Assists) | Pd | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Maddy Field (Liz Schepers, Sara Saekkinen) | 1 | 7:46 |
| PP - Emma Maltais (Tatum Skaggs, Sophie Jaques) | 2 | 11:00 |
| Maddy Field (Emma Maltais, Jincy Dunne) | 2 | 18:14 |
UMD would not enjoy the lead for long. A little over a minute passed before Maddy Field banged home a rebound to tie the tilt at 1-1. The tally was a textbook example of Muzerall's “ugly” goals.
The Buckeyes closed the period on a 12-4 run on shots. After the break they picked up right where they left off. OSU outshot UMD 11-4 to begin the second period. Just past the halfway point, Emma Maltais rang up a power play goal to give Ohio State its first lead of the contest.
A flurry of late penalties briefly stalled the OSU attack. It regained steam in the final minutes of the frame. Maddy Field struck again as the clock wound down, boosting the Buckeye advantage to two goals. The score was her team-leading eighth of the season.
In the third period, Ohio State dug in and preserved its lead. The Buckeyes shut down every Bulldog attempt. Andrea Braendli made eight fine saves in the stanza. Not even an extra Duluth attacker could dent the Scarlet and Gray's defense.
Ohio State claimed the first game of the series, 3-1. The win boosted the Bucks' record to 10-5-0 overall and 6-3-0-0 in the WCHA.
The Buckeyes and Bulldogs resume their battle tomorrow afternoon. It's an early one. Opening faceoff is set for 1pm ET. If you can't make it to the game you can stream the action live with a subscription to BTN Plus.
- Ohio State dominated the shot count, 45-28, This included 20-11 and 17-9 margins in the first and second periods.
- Jacyn Reeves topped all Buckeye shooters with nine pucks on net.
- Andrea Braendli made 27 saves in the win. She is now 7-5-0 on the season with a 1.92 GAA and .936 save percentage.
- OSU went 1-for-4 on the power play and held UMD to 1-for-2 on the Bulldogs' man-advantages.
