The No. 2 Ohio State women’s hockey team will kick off their home schedule against Minnesota Oct. 27-28 at Ohio State Ice Rink. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Lantern File Photo

Head coach Nadine Muzerall knows the University of Minnesota all too well. 

A two-time All-American and national champion, Muzerall was a standout player for the Golden Gophers on the ice.

Now, she will lead the No. 2 Ohio State (5-1-0, 4-0-0 WCHA) women’s ice hockey team against No. 4 Minnesota (5-0-0, 3-0-0 WCHA) in the Buckeyes’ home opener at the Ohio State Ice Rink this weekend.

“I am a Gopher still,” Muzerall said. “But when you get on the ice, you’re going toe-to-toe with your opponent. I know that team is going to be coached well.”

Ohio State last played Minnesota in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Final Faceoff Championship, suffering a 3-1 loss after going (1-2-1) against the Golden Gophers in the regular season.

In their first matchup against Minnesota since, the Buckeyes get to do the skating on their own territory. 

“I’m just excited for a home opener,” Muzerall said. “It’s going to be a really good crowd there against a very good, competitive team.” 

Ohio State saw 10 different skaters put one in between the pipes against St. Thomas, a threat Muzerall said is crucial to winning against teams like Minnesota.

“You definitely need that if you’re going to win a national championship,” Muzerall said. “We are going to need that moving forward, especially in our league in order to be successful.”

Graduate forward and Boston College transfer Hannah Bilka will skate against the Golden Gophers for the first time in her collegiate career. 

“They are such an established program,” Bilka said. “I mean, we are number two and they are four, so they’re going to want to beat us and we want to beat them. I feel like we are very familiar with a lot of their players, so I am really excited to play them.”

Bilka, who leads the team in points on the season, added to her total after a breakout performance against St. Thomas Friday. She notched two goals and an assist in the victory,  mounting her points on the season to 10.

Senior forward Kiara Zanon turned in her own two-goal, one-assist game against St. Thomas on Saturday. However, unlike Bilka, the Penn State transfer is familiar with the Golden Gophers, having previously taken on then-No. 3 Minnesota in the Henderson Collegiate Hockey Showcase in Las Vegas Nov. 25, 2022.

Still, Zanon said all the focus now is taking on Minnesota with the Block O on her chest.

“I think it’s been a long time coming and I’ve been counting down the days,” Zanon said. “So, to finally have it coming up here, I am just super excited. It’ll be a great atmosphere.”

Right behind Bilka in points is Zanon, who has 8, and both have tallied four goals so far this season. Zanon said with the top-two points leaders being transfers, it adds a new dimension to the team.

“I think any time someone transfers it’s really exciting because you get to bring a different style of everything,” Zanon said. “You’re coming from a different school and a different place. You get to bring some things that you learned but also learn from the people that are already here.”

The top-10 matchup starts at 6 p.m., Friday, and 3 p.m. Saturday. Both contests can be streamed on Big Ten+.