The No. 1 Ohio State women’s ice hockey team celebrates scoring a goal against No. 6 Wisconsin in Columbus Jan. 14. Ohio State won 5-0. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
The No. 1 Ohio State women’s ice hockey team commemorates its graduating seniors this weekend, as it hosts St. Thomas for the final home series of the regular season.
The team will uphold tradition and honor its seniors prior to the start of Saturday’s game, the last team effort on home ice before postseason play. The ceremony is set to begin at noon, and doors will open at 11:45 a.m.
“It’s a big weekend for conference points and our senior class. We’ve been together for four years, and it’s our last regular season home series together in the Ohio State rink,” senior forward Ramsey Parent said. “We’re hoping for another sellout crowd like we’ve had the last two home weekends and to build off of what we’ve been doing so far at home.”
The Buckeyes (25-3-2, 20-3-1 Western Collegiate Hockey Association) are currently undefeated against the Tommies (8-21-1, 3-20-1 WCHA), securing victory in all six matchups in program history. Their previous clash ended in a road series sweep for Ohio State after it shut out St. Thomas 4-0 in the first game and 6-0 in the second.
Following last weekend’s battle against rival No. 3 Minnesota, the series against St. Thomas will prove to be crucial for Ohio State in tallying conference points as the season winds down.
“We’re really looking to build on that second game against Minnesota,” Parent said. “We came out hot. We played a full 60 minutes of hockey, and that’s what we’re going to have to do to beat the Tommies this weekend and going forward.”
St. Thomas, averaging 1.6 goals per game as opposed to Ohio State’s 4.5, is led by sophomore goaltender Saskia Maurer and graduate forward and captain Anna Solheim. Maurer tallied a season-high 48 saves against Minnesota Duluth on Dec. 10, 2022, and Solheim has notched three goals this season.
Senior goaltender Quinn Kuntz, who recorded a season-high 16 saves in her first-career start earlier this season against the Tommies in November 2022, emphasized the opponent’s strong forecheck and power play.
“They have a shifty defense and a few good, fast forwards, so we’ve been keeping our eye out and making sure we follow our plan defensively,” Kuntz said.
Senior weekend will commence at 6 p.m. Friday and conclude at 1 p.m. Saturday, with both games streamed on BTN+.
