Ohio State graduate defenseman Hadley Hartmetz (6) tries to score against Minnesota Jan. 29, 2022, at the Ohio State Ice Rink. Ohio State lost 5-3. Credit: Casey Smith | The Lantern File
After its national championship loss during the 2022-23 season, the No. 2 Ohio State women’s ice hockey team returned to the same place where it all started.
This time they came out victorious in back-to-back games at AMSOIL Arena.
The Buckeyes (3-1-0, 2-0-0 WCHA) swept their weekend series against No. 6 Minnesota Duluth (2-2-0, 0-2-0 WCHA), propelled by graduate defenseman Hadley Hartmetz’s hat trick in Friday’s 5-2 win and graduate goaltender Raygan Kirk’s 16 save for a shutout performance in Saturday’s 2-0 victory to kick off Western Collegiate Hockey Association play.
Hartmetz scored two goals in just 1:32 into the game, bringing the Buckeye lead to 2-1 following a goal from Bulldog senior forward, Olivia Wallen. Ohio State outshot Minnesota Duluth 21-7 in the first frame of play, including a 15-4 shots-on-goal advantage.
Senior forward Olivia Mobley netted her first goal of the season for Ohio State in a short-handed situation on the penalty kill. The Buckeyes added two more goals in the third period by sophomore forward Sloane Matthews, her third of the season, and Hartmetz scored her third goal, putting her halfway to her total of six last season.
Senior goaltender Amanda Thiele earned her first win of the season, notching 10 saves in the WCHA opener.
Fresh off of her WCHA Goaltender of the Week and Month awards, Kirk stopped every shot headed her way in the Buckeyes’ shutout win Saturday.
Kirk, who represented the Buckeyes between the pipes in the first win of the season, recorded win No. 18 as a Buckeye after transferring from Robert Morris before the 2021-22 season.
Ohio State’s two lone scores of the game came in the second period, as graduate forward Hannah Bilka and sophomore defenseman Emma Peschel both netted power play goals to establish a lead that was never relinquished.
Following a trend of an aggressive game on offense, Ohio State outshot Minnesota Duluth 71-40, including a 42-16 shots-on-goal advantage.
A lingering issue heading into the second series of the year, the Buckeyes went a combined nine-for-nine on the penalty kills against the Bulldogs after giving up three power-play goals to Colgate two weeks prior.
Ohio State stays on the road to take on St. Thomas at the St. Thomas Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota, featuring a 4 p.m. ET, 3 p.m. CT puck drop Friday and a 3 p.m. ET, 4 p.m. CT start Saturday.
Both contests will be streamed on Big Ten+.
