Women’s Hockey: No. 1 Buckeyes beat No. 4 Minnesota-Duluth 2-1, advance to WCHA Final Faceoff Championship

The No. 1 seeded Ohio State women’s hockey team defeated No. 4 seed Minnesota-Duluth Friday in Minneapolis to advance to the WCHA Final Faceoff Championship. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor

The No. 1 Ohio State women’s hockey team now eyes the national prize, after defeating No. 4 seed Minnesota-Duluth 2-1 Friday at Ridder Arena to advance to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Final Faceoff Championship.

After a scoreless first period, the Buckeyes (31-4-2, 23-4-1 WCHA) found two goals in under a minute from forwards senior Brook Bink and graduate Emma Maltais to put the game out of reach.

Junior goaltender Amanda Thiele saved 26 of the 27 shots she faced in front of the net.

The Bulldogs (25-9-3, 17-8-3 WCHA) found themselves at a disadvantage they could not overcome, despite multiple opportunities in the first and second periods. The lone goal came from junior defenseman Nina Jobst-Smith, while graduate goaltender Emma Soderberg saved 34 out of 36 shots.

While the Buckeyes held a 17-8 advantage in shots on goal through the first 20 minutes, Soderberg was able to weather the aggressive forecheck from Ohio State.

Midway through the second period, fifth-year defenseman Ashton Bell attempted to clear the puck out of the defensive zone and Bink put her stick on it for just her third goal of the season to give Ohio State a 1-0 lead.

Less than a minute later, the Buckeyes again took advantage of a poor pass in the Bulldogs’ zone, with Maltais one-timing a shot past Soderberg in the slot to give Ohio State a 2-0 advantage with 11:54 remaining in the period.

From there on, the Ohio State defense held strong, even as the Bulldogs outshot the Buckeyes in the third period 8-7. Even with Jobst-Smith’s goal with 2:48 left in the third, Minnesota-Duluth’s comeback fell short, as the Buckeyes advanced to their fourth WCHA Final Faceoff Championship in as many seasons.

The Buckeyes won the faceoff battle 33-21, and Maltais and Bink were named the first and second stars of the game, respectively. The Buckeyes went 0-for-4 on the power play, while the Bulldogs were held scoreless in their only man advantage.

Ohio State will play the winner between No. 2 Minnesota and No. 3 Wisconsin for the WCHA Final Faceoff Championship Saturday at 3 p.m. in Minneapolis.