The women’s hockey Bucks wrapped up their exhibition series against the Minnesota Whitecaps on Sunday afternoon. Ohio State came out on the wrong end of a 3-1 score. The visitors, co-leaders of the professional NWHL, got goals from Emma Stauber, Amy Menke, and Sadie Lundquist. The last was an empty netter as the Buckeyes pressed with the extra attacker in the game’s final minute.
| Scoring by Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Whitecaps | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| No. 8 Ohio State | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Ohio State was shorthanded once again, playing with only four defenders (two of which are freshmen) and 11 forwards. Despite their thin bench, the talent of their opponents, and this being the back half of the team’s first series in three weeks the Buckeyes managed to generate 33 shots on Amanda Leveille. And each period brought an increasing number of attempts.
| Buckeye Goal Scorer (Assists) | Pd | Time |
|---|---|---|
| PP - Maddy Field (Paetyn Levis, Elise Riemenschneider) | 2 | 14:39 |
Head coach Nadine Muzerall was happy with her team’s effort. “I was very pleased with the turnaround that we had in today’s game, especially with our special teams. Our power play was finally getting some puck movement and the looks that we usually have. And then our PK unit did brilliantly on the rotation. We showed them some things in film. Special teams did a great job.”
- Catch more postgame commentary from Muzerall via the Bucks' Twitter.
The Bucks did indeed shine on special teams. They held the Whitecaps scoreless on two advantages and went 1-for-2 on their own power plays. Maddy Field tallied on OSU’s first chance of the day. Paetyn Levis and Elise Riemenschneider collected helpers on the goal.
Andrea Braendli started the game in net for the Scarlet and Gray. She made 15 saves in the first period before ceding the net to Lynsey Wallace. The sophomore made 27 stops on 28 shots.
It was Wallace’s first game action as a Buckeye. “My teammates just really hyped me up for it,” said the Seven Hills, Ohio native. “They knew it was my first game that I had played in my college career so before I even went out they just were hyping me up for it. So when I got in net I was just really excited. I kept my mind focused on one shot at a time. I did what I could and I thought it went pretty well.”
- Check out Wallace's complete postgame interview here.
Her sparkling effort earned the respect of her coach and teammates. “She came in and she played great,” said Muzerall. “We watched that second goal, the first goal that they scored on her, I mean it just snuck in there. She actually slid across brilliantly and then it was just, literally - the puck is three inches wide and there was three inches of net. She played it well. The whole team was very impressed with how she played.”
Ohio State now turns its attention to the second half of the college hockey season and a showdown with national No. 1 Wisconsin. The Badgers came to Columbus next week for a pair of games. The first is scheduled for Friday at 6pm ET. Saturday’s game is set for a 3pm ET start.
