The No. 1 Ohio State women’s hockey team will matchup against the No. 2 Minnesota Golden Gophers Friday in Columbus. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
The No. 1 Buckeyes women’s ice hockey team is set to face off against No. 2 Minnesota in a top-ranked Western Collegiate Hockey Association series matchup beginning Friday.
Ohio State (8-0-0) looks to build momentum off its series sweep versus then-No. 4 Minnesota Duluth in last weekend’s national championship series rematch. The Buckeyes will host the Golden Gophers (6-0-0) in a home series Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Ohio State Ice Rink.
Assistant coach Kelsey Cline said the team is excited to host another highly anticipated matchup on home ice, and the fan support has been felt by the Buckeyes all season.
“Our group really feeds off of that, when it’s the high intensity, high pressure, because at the end of the day those are the most fun games,” Cline said. “We’ve definitely felt that fan support and it definitely helps our environment, our team, with how close the fans are to the glass you really feel that energy.”
The teams last battled March 6, when the Buckeyes scored three unanswered goals against then-No.1 Minnesota in the WCHA Final Faceoff Championship game, clinching Ohio State’s second conference tournament trophy in program history. The Buckeyes held a 4-1 record versus the Golden Gophers last season, with two of their wins coming in overtime.
The Golden Gophers swept every series this season while averaging six goals per game, including a combined 20 goals in its two-game series versus Minnesota State, handily beating the Mavericks 11-0 and 9-4 in a display of offensive prowess.
Graduate defenseman Madison Bizal said the Buckeyes will continue to lean on their stout defense to neutralize the Golden Gophers’ scoring attack, which has found the back of the net 36 times this season.
“I think blocking shots will be huge this weekend, and just keeping them in front of us,” Bizal said. “We have a very talented D-core, and so even though they have a lot of offensive threats, we have just as great a defense, so it should be a great matchup.”
The Buckeyes currently sit atop the conference and national rankings throughout their program-record win streak of 18 games. Cline said the Buckeyes are finally finding their groove at the right time.
“At the beginning of the year practices are always a little longer, so you’re working through those kinks,” Cline said. “Luckily we have a really big chunk of returning players, so once everyone kind of got back into that grind of school and practice, everything’s been clicking.”
Leading the charge of returning players is junior goaltender Amanda Thiele, who earned WCHA Goaltender of the Week after tallying 38 saves against Minnesota Duluth for a .905 save percentage on the series.
Senior forward Jennifer Gardiner said Thiele has been essential to the team’s success, as she holds an undefeated record between the pipes this season.
“She’s definitely been our backbone this season so far and last season, stepping up for a lot of games at the end of the year,” Gardiner said. “It’s been awesome to have her, and we can tell she’s gaining confidence playing the puck more and just making those key saves when we need her to. She deserved that honor.”
The series will be streamed on BTN+, and puck drop set for 6 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday. Admission and parking for all Ohio State’s women’s ice hockey games are free.
