The No. 1 Ohio State women’s ice hockey team defeated St. Cloud State 5-2 in its home opener Oct. 7. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
In a highly anticipated top-ranked matchup, the No. 1 Buckeyes lost their first game of the season 4-2 Friday versus the No. 2 Minnesota Golden Gophers.
The opening minutes of play at the Ohio State Ice Rink were a defensive battle, with both sides working out kinks offensively. However, it didn’t take nearly as long for the Gophers to find their groove.
Just nine minutes into play, Minnesota freshman defenseman Nelli Laitinen opened up scoring on the night, firing a wrist shot from the point that went top corner past junior goaltender Amanda Thiele, notching an early 1-0 lead over the Buckeyes on the Gophers’ third shot of the night.
Head coach Nadine Muzerall said the team looks to get a better head start in its rematch versus Minnesota Saturday.
“Coming out of the gates quicker, when we do that we tend to set a tone,” Muzerall said. “I felt like we were very flat at the beginning, and so we lost sight of our style.”
Despite early chances for Ohio State to answer offensively, Minnesota sophomore goaltender Skylar Vetter proved to be formidable between the pipes, posting 13 saves in the first period.
The second period saw a brief shift in momentum for the Buckeyes, as Ohio State controlled the tempo on both ends of the ice. A checking penalty on Laitinen just under eight minutes into the period gave Ohio State plenty of chances on offense, but Vetter continued to pose issues for the Buckeyes’ offense.
Graduate forward Emma Maltais said the team needs to capitalize on its early chances to find success in Saturday’s rematch.
“I think we had a couple chances early in the game that could have put us ahead quicker and earlier,” Maltais said. “I think we played really great, and I think we have another gear, and I think we all know that so just looking forward to seeing that tomorrow.”
Yet, with 1:20 left in the second period, junior forward Jenna Buglioni managed to find the back of the net off a loose puck in the Gophers’ crease, putting the Buckeyes on the board and tying the game up 1-1.
Just 38 seconds later, the Ohio State University Ice Rink erupted as graduate defenseman Sophie Jaques took the 2-1 lead for the Buckeyes, finding the back of the net off another loose rebound in the Gophers’ crease and tallying her eighth goal of the season. Maltais said with the nature of a top-ranked matchup, the scoring is bound to be back and forth.
“In a game like that, one versus two, it’s going to come down to a bounce,” Maltais said. “We never gave up, we battled back one time for the lead and unfortunately we couldn’t get it done there at the end, but I think that fires us for tomorrow and we’re gonna be ready.”
It didn’t take long for the Gophers to answer, as Minnesota fifth-year forward Taylor Heise found her third goal of the year and quickly tied up the game 2-2 just 19 seconds into the final period. Muzerall said the Gophers’ quick answer in the early seconds of the third was a turning point.
“That goal that hit off our stick really hurt at a bad time,” Muzerall said.
The momentum carried throughout the third period for the Gophers, and Minnesota was able to take a 3-2 lead with just 9:51 to play. Sophomore forward Peyton Hemp beat Thiele on a rebound that found its way into the back of the net.
With 3:31 left to play, fifth-year forward Abigail Boreen found the back of the net, extending the Gophers lead 4-2 and effectively putting the game away in the Buckeyes’ first loss of the season. Maltais said the Buckeyes will look to learn from their first loss and bounce back in Saturday’s rematch.
“No one wants to lose, but I think that’s where the learning happens,” Maltais said. “I think that’s where you’re forced to learn and become uncomfortable. At this point, maybe that’s good for us.”
The Buckeyes will host the Golden Gophers Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Ohio State Ice Rink.
