The Ohio State women’s hockey team remains at No. 1 and will look to repeat as national nhampions. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
During Friday’s ice hockey game between No. 1 Ohio State and No. 8 Wisconsin, the crowd inside OSU Ice Rink looked on as the top-10 matchup was sent to overtime.
About 680 fans were in attendance as the Buckeyes met the Badgers, who once ranked No. 2 before losing their three contests prior to the series. It marked the first meeting between the two since the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Final Faceoff Semifinals last season.
Wisconsin held a 1-0 lead after the first period, but junior forward Jenna Buglioni helped the Buckeyes knot the score on her 11th goal of the season in the middle frame. The two teams went back and forth to the final minute of regulation, as graduate defenseman Sophie Jaques had Ohio State’s final regulation shot saved with 20 seconds remaining.
Using extra time in the first game of the latest series clash with the Badgers, Ohio State notched its first comeback win of the season as a goal by Jaques led to a 2-1 win in the overtime period.
“I don’t remember the last time I’ve played where it’s hard to hear yourself think almost, and the band was going and the Block ‘O’ behind me was going both periods, and it was standing room [only] out there,” senior goaltender Raygan Kirk said. “I think that really helped fuel us, and even after we were down, it didn’t really feel like that.”
The Buckeyes completed the series sweep and extended their winning streak to six Saturday, thanks to a 5-0 shutout from junior goaltender Amanda Thiele and a hat trick by graduate forward Paetyn Levis.
Since slipping to No. 2 on Oct. 31, 2022, for three weeks and beginning the season 20-2-2, and tallying 46 points — one less than first-place No. 3 Minnesota — the defending national champion Buckeyes are on course to return to the postseason and defend their crown.
Head coach Nadine Muzerall guided Ohio State to its first NCAA Women’s Ice Hockey national championship in program history a season ago. Now in her seventh season at the helm, Muzerall’s coaching philosophy shines through the team’s culture now that the Buckeyes are atop the women’s ice hockey ranks.
“You can’t go in nervous. You got to go in with a swag. You got to go in with a chip on your shoulder,” Muzerall said. “At the end of the day, we’re No. 1, right? And they’re trying to beat us. But at the same time, we got to defend that.”
Ohio State is tied for second in the WCHA behind an average of 4.46 goals scored per game, and also ranks third in fewest goals allowed per game at a rate of 1.71.
Thiele has garnered the most minutes in net for the Buckeyes this season, playing in 12 games and allowing 1.98 goals per game while saving 89.2 percent of shots which rank sixth and No. 11 in the WCHA.
Kirk, who’s appeared in nine games, and senior goaltender Quinn Kuntz held down duties near the net across four games from Dec. 18, 2022, to Jan. 13. Ohio State allowed just two goals while scoring 21 in that span, and Thiele got back on the ice Saturday and recorded her third shutout.
Thiele said her teammates helped in her return to the rink, saying “it was huge” to play together in a loud home environment against a formidable opponent.
“They built my confidence and then I just went from there. Didn’t get many shots from a great team like that,” Thiele said. “I think it’s a great start for the second half of the season.”
Ohio State’s second half of the season will consist of road series at No. 3 Minnesota Feb. 3-4 and a rematch at the Badgers Feb. 18-19 before the postseason begins.
Jaques, the 2022 WCHA Defender of the Year and a finalist for women’s ice hockey’s top honor in The Patty Kazmaier Award last season, said the team’s familiarity with one another is a strength and will help them in big moments, like when it led to a goal such as her game-winner Friday.
“I think experience definitely is something, but I think it’s more just about how well we know each other as players, and that’s come from the experience we have together,” Jaques said.
Levis said the sweep against the Badgers is an example of more than just two wins in the middle of the season.
“I think it shows a lot of confidence in our teammates, and I think we’re gelling at the perfect time,” Levis said. “For us to just keep rolling as a team and putting all the pieces together, I don’t think it could go better but I think that was a huge confidence [boost], sweep against Wisconsin to come into the second half strong.”
Since Muzerall was named head coach in 2016, she’s taken the Buckeyes to the Frozen Four and NCAA Tournament, both of which Ohio State hadn’t been to previously. It’s on the familiar path that’s led to national postseason berths in three-consecutive and four total seasons.
The Buckeyes latest sweep shows taking the title from the defending champion won’t be easy.
“I’m very proud of them, they’ve worked hard,” Muzerall said. “They were rewarded for their unified chemistry that they play together. They don’t care about who gets the recognition or puts the puck in the net — they just want to win.”
