Senior goaltender Raygan Kirk and graduate defenseman Hadley Hartmetz were honored as the Western Collegiate Hockey Association’s goaltender of the month and defender of the month, respectively. Credit: Sandra Fu | Lantern Photographer; Caleb Blake | Photo Editor
Ohio State finished its January schedule 6-0, with all six wins coming against top-10 teams.
The top-10 domination earned conference-wide recognition for two Buckeye players, but No. 10 St. Cloud State’s near-comebacks on Friday and Saturday proved the Buckeyes can’t coast as they prepare for some lower profile competition in February.
Here’s what’s happening around the rink this week.
Kirk and Hartmetz named players of the month
After earning the Western Collegiate Hockey Association’s Goaltender of the Week award following a one-goal weekend at Minnesota Jan. 12 and 13, senior goaltender Raygan Kirk was named the league’s Goaltender of the Month Tuesday.
In January, Kirk made 66 saves and allowed three goals in four starts, including two shutouts.
Senior defenseman Hadley Hartmetz also garnered attention for her January performances, earning the title of WCHA Defender of the Month. The Ohio State defense allowed five goals in six games in January, while Hartmetz led the Buckeyes in +/- at +11 and scored a point in all but one game.
After the Minnesota series, Kirk said the reliable defensive unit makes her job easier.
“Blocking shots really helps the goaltender, just taking care of what we need to do and making those big saves when we need to,” Kirk said. “We pride ourselves on keeping the shots against lower, and the girls have been really consistent with that this year.”
Buckeyes score by committee in St. Cloud
Head coach Nadine Muzerall often says Ohio State’s depth separates it from other teams. That depth was on display at St. Cloud State, as six different Buckeyes scored in the Buckeyes’ seven-goal weekend.
Cayla Barnes, Sloane Matthews, Jenna Buglioni, Kiara Zanon and Joy Dunne each scored once, while senior forward Makenna Webster tallied two goals — one in each game.
The Buckeyes’ sweep at St. Cloud State was their eighth series this season with six or more unique goal scorers.
“Our depth is a very important thing, all four lines, everyone needs to know their role, and that’s why we’re on top right now,” Webster said. “Unlike other teams who have certain goal scores, we just have every single person stepping up.”
Ohio State defense tested in third period
Ohio State only trailed St. Cloud State for a total of seven and a half minutes in the weekend series, but in two straight games, the Huskies threatened to come back in the third period.
In Friday’s game, Ohio State entered the third period up 3-0, but a goal concession to St. Cloud State’s Emma Gentry 22 seconds into the period put the Buckeyes’ lead in jeopardy. A Webster goal five minutes later gave Ohio State some insurance, allowing it to eventually win 4-2.
A day later, Ohio State held a 3-1 lead entering the final minutes of regulation. With just under a minute left in the game, St. Cloud State’s Taylor Lind scored a power-play goal to put the Huskies within one score. A final minute of defending allowed Ohio State to escape with the sweep, but senior defenseman Lauren Bernard said the Buckeyes were not at their best down the stretch.
“It seemed like passes were off and it didn’t really flow and click like it usually does,” Bernard said. “We put up four really good games, and we were riding that high. Every team’s coming after us and is going to give us their best, and that’s what St. Cloud did for sure.”
Although Ohio State will look to clean up its late-game defense, Bernard said winning close games against a top-10 team will be a valuable experience.
“At this point in the season, teams are searching for points and trying to make playoff pushes, so they came to play,” Bernard said. “We knew we needed to get these 6 points, and the fact that we were able to still push through and find a way to get it done, good teams learn to do that.”
Looking ahead: Four-win Bemidji State
After running a gauntlet of top-10 teams, Ohio State will return home to take on the WCHA seventh-place Bemidji State Beavers (4-20-2, 3-16-1 WCHA) on Friday and Saturday.
The Beavers have struggled against the Buckeyes in recent years, posting a 7-21-2 record against Ohio State since Muzerall took over in 2016, and losing to Ohio State 9-1 and 5-0 at home this season.
Despite the Beavers’ struggles to win games, they are coming off a 4-point series at St. Thomas, where they suffered a 2-2 shootout loss Friday and won in regulation 4-2 Saturday.
Freshman goaltender Eva Filippova was named the WCHA’s Rookie of the Week Monday after making 57 saves and allowing four goals in the St. Thomas series. Junior defenseman Makenna Deering was also recognized as the WCHA’s Defender of the Week after scoring one goal in the shootout loss.
Bernard said she’s expecting the Beavers to play physically and defend the crease well.
“They make it really hard to get in front of their net,” Bernard said. “They also block a lot of shots and they sell out, so making sure we get to the dirty areas in front of the net, and the defense gets shots through, those are key points for us.”
