Emma Peschel (7) and Raygan Kirk (1) defend the Ohio State net during the 2022-23 women’s hockey season. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Lantern File Photo Graphic: Reid Murray | Design Editor
Ohio State women’s hockey had a big weekend.
The No. 1 Buckeyes (18-2-0, 15-1-0 WCHA) swept then-No. 2 Minnesota (16-5-1, 10-5-1-1 WCHA) on the road, two players earned WCHA recognition and future Buckeyes shined on the global stage.
Here’s what’s going on around the rink this week.
Buckeyes earn WCHA weekly awards
Freshman forward Joy Dunne’s hat trick Friday against Minnesota and senior goaltender Raygan Kirk’s 37-save weekend against the Golden Gophers garnered conference-wide attention, as the Western Collegiate Hockey Association recognized Dunne as its rookie of the week, and Kirk as the league’s goaltender of the week.
Dunne’s Friday night hat trick was her second of the season, with the first coming in a 9-1 win at Bemidji State Nov. 3, 2023. In addition to her three goals at Minnesota on Friday, she recorded one assist, leading WCHA freshmen in points on the weekend and giving her a season total of 11 goals and nine assists.
“The future looks really good for our team,” head coach Nadine Muzerall said. “Joy in particular, she’s shooting more intelligently, she can box people out and get rebounds because she’s stronger on her stick than other people.”
Kirk started in both of Ohio State’s games at Minnesota and handed Minnesota its first shutout in three years Friday night, helping the Buckeyes take the first game 7-0. Her 17 saves and one goal allowed were enough to earn a 6-1 win and make Ohio State the first team to sweep Minnesota in Minneapolis since 2021.
“A huge part of being a goaltender is staying sharp and being accountable for your role,” Kirk said. “I also have to give credit to the girls in front of me; that’s probably the best weekend that we’ve put together.”
Special teams succeed in Minneapolis
Going into Ohio State’s series in Minnesota, graduate forward Jennifer Gardiner said the games would come down to special teams.
The Buckeyes’ penalty kill stood up to the test, giving away zero goals the entire weekend. Before Friday and Saturday’s series, Ohio State had given up three power-play goals to Minnesota, all of which came in a 6-5 win at the Ohio State Ice Rink Oct. 28, 2023.
After scoring no power-play goals of its own in Friday’s 7-0 win, Ohio State notched two in seven power plays in Saturday’s 6-1 victory.
Ohio State ranks ninth in the country in power plays with a .225 percentage while sitting at 16th in penalty kills with a .841 percentage.
Buckeye commits take gold in Switzerland
Four Ohio State commits won gold medals at the International Ice Hockey Federation U18 Championship in Zug, Switzerland, Sunday.
Future Buckeyes Kassidy Carmichael, Josie St. Martin, Jordyn Petrie and Macy Rasmussen played for Team USA at the tournament, and Carmichael’s two third-period goals helped secure a 5-1 championship win against Czechia.
Carmichael finished the tournament with four goals, while St. Martin tallied six goals and three assists and Petrie recorded one goal and seven assists.
Three more Buckeye commits played in the tournament, with Hilda Svensson and Jenna Raunio playing for Sweden and Maxine Cimoroni representing Canada.
Looking ahead
The Buckeyes’ next series will start Friday against No. 7 Minnesota Duluth (13-7-2, 10-6-0 WCHA) at the Ohio State Ice Rink. The last time these two teams met, the Buckeyes swept the Bulldogs with a 5-2 win Oct. 13, 2023, and a 2-0 win Oct. 14, 2023.
Minnesota Duluth is 3-7-2 in games against top-10 teams and 6-3-1 in road games. The Bulldogs are coming off a home sweep against Bemidji State, where they won 2-0 on Friday and 7-0 on Saturday.
Muzerall said the Buckeyes are prepared for a challenging weekend against a gritty Bulldog team.
“They’re a 200-foot hockey team, they play with a lot of passion and work ethic and we have to make sure we cover all areas of the ice because they don’t really have a weakness,” Muzerall said.
Minnesota Duluth forwards Reece Hunt and Mannon McMahon lead the Bulldogs in scoring with 20 points each. Goaltenders Ève Gascon and Hailey MacLeod split time in net, with Gascon allowing 1.49 goals per game in 12 starts, and MacLeod giving up 1.10 goals per game in 10 starts.
Gascon was between the pipes in Ohio State’s previous meetings with the Bulldogs, and Muzerall said her efforts in net made life difficult for the Buckeyes.
“We outplayed them last time, but she kept them in the game,” Muzerall said. “That’s what good goalies can do in hockey, so I think the message is ‘let’s not lose sight of who we are as a culture.’”
