After beating Bemidji State, 4-1, in Friday night's Game One of a three-game series to open a WCHA Tournament quarterfinal, the Buckeyes wasted no time moving on, handing the Beavers a 2-1 loss Saturday afternoon at the OSU Ice Rink to complete the sweep.
Saturday's victory advances the Buckeyes to next weekend's WCHA Final Faceoff at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis.
Sloane Matthews opened the scoring with a first-period goal, her fifth of the season, by way of an assist from Kenzie Hauswirth (18). The Buckeyes then nursed the one goal lead until Jennifer Gardiner lit the lamp for the 21st time this season with just over three minutes left in regulation on assists from Gabby Rosenthal (15) and Sophie Jaques (24).
Bemidji State's Claire Vekich made the final minutes interesting after a power play just over a minute later but Ohio State ran out the clock to record the win.
Nadine Muzerall's squad, as the No. 1 overall seed, will Minnesota Duluth 2 p.m. ET on Friday. No. 2 Wisconsin takes on No. 3 Minnesota in the other semifinal.
Next stop @WCHA_WHockey Final Faceoff#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/pnl3cAaZln
— Ohio State Women's Hockey (@OhioStateWHKY) February 25, 2023
Should Ohio State prevail, it will play in the championship game on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.
