Ohio State graduate forward Clair DeGeorge (14) skates the puck down the ice during the Ohio State-St. Cloud State game Feb. 26. Ohio State won 3-0. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
The Buckeyes are headed back to the Frozen Four.
No. 1 Ohio State defeated No. 7 Quinnipiac 4-3 in double overtime in the quarterfinals of the 2022 NCAA Women’s Ice Hockey tournament at the OSU Ice Rink Saturday.
Ohio State graduate forward Clair DeGeorge scored two goals in the Buckeyes’ win, including the game-winning shot which fluttered over the shoulder of Quinnipiac graduate goaltender Corinne Schroeder and into the net.
“You knew it was not going to be a pretty goal,” Ohio State head coach Nadine Muzerall said. “But we’ll take it.”
Despite Schroeder’s 73 saves, tied for the sixth most by a goaltender in an NCAA Tournament women’s hockey game, Ohio State’s shot volume — a new program record of 77 — was too much to overcome in the second overtime.
“We had talked about in the locker room trying to go five-hole, and it was a little bit of a lucky bounce and ended up going up and over her shoulder,” DeGeorge said. “It’s just getting the pucks in on net and we were hopefully going to get a lucky bounce there eventually and that’s what we got.”
The Bobcats drew first blood off the stick of freshman forward Ann-Frédérik Naud.
The Montreal native’s first career goal gave Quinnipiac a 1-0 lead with 11:34 left in the first period.
Ohio State responded on the power play with less than a minute to go in the first frame. Buckeye sophomore defenseman Riley Brengman placed an upper-shelf shot past Schroeder to tie the game at one.
Early in the second, DeGeorge scored from the front of the net on the power play to give the Buckeyes the lead.
Freshman forward Maya Labad answered for Quinnipiac, popping the puck over Thiele at close range with just over 13 minutes left in the second to tie it 2-2.
Despite back-and-forth action, the remainder of the second period ran goalless after Labad’s finish, setting up a 2-2 tie heading into the third.
Ohio State senior defenseman Sophie Jaques glided down the right side of the ice and launched a shot into the upper left corner of the net, scoring her 21st goal of the year and giving Ohio State a 3-2 lead with 17:41 to go.
Quinnipiac was held scoreless for the next 15 minutes. The Bobcats failed to field possession in the third, allowing Ohio State to dictate tempo and control.
After Quinnipiac pulled their goalie late in the third, Bobcats graduate forward Taylor House punched the puck in on the power play with 1:22 remaining in regulation to tie the game 3-3.
Despite several chances in front of the net, the Buckeyes couldn’t score in the final minute, and regulation ended in a 3-3 tie.
DeGeorge said that even though a late goal can sometimes be demoralizing, the Buckeyes kept battling because they could only handle what remained in front of them.
“Our team came together and we supported each other,” DeGeorge said. “There were mistakes made, but we got the puck and we just kept going.”
In overtime, Ohio State senior forward Paetyn Levis slipped on a breakaway opportunity as she received a pass, losing the puck with 4:22 left.
The Buckeyes put 19 shots on goal in the first overtime period — none of them found net — and the first overtime ended without a goal by either side.
Just over two minutes into the second overtime period, DeGeorge’s shot from front left of the goal spun in the air and fell across the line, securing the victory.
Muzerall said the ability to stay composed and come together helped the Buckeyes to the finish, despite long periods of play and many unfruitful shots.
“My team, their relentless pursuit to win was impressive today,” Muzerall said. “Nobody cared who put the puck in the net, nobody cared about ice time, they were just a unified front and wanted to win.”
Ohio State will play No. 5 Yale in the program’s third Frozen Four appearance Friday in State College, Pennsylvania, with the opportunity to play in the program’s first national championship game with a win.
