The 2022-23 Ohio State women’s hockey team gathers around the Julianne Bye Cup after clinching its first ever WCHA regular season championship. The Buckeyes have a chance to repeat as champions this weekend against St. Thomas.
Coming off its sixth straight sweep, No. 1 Ohio State (26-2-0, 23-1-0 WCHA) is in prime position to win a regular season conference title.
While Ohio State remained undefeated in 2024 with two wins against Minnesota State on Friday and Saturday, two former Buckeyes contributed to a reverse sweep with Team Canada.
Here’s what’s happening around the rink this week.
Julianne Bye Cup two wins away
Ohio State has a chance to clinch the Julianne Bye Cup, awarded to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association’s regular season champion, for the second straight season this weekend.
With four games remaining in the regular season, the Buckeyes sit atop the WCHA standings with 67 points, ahead of second-place Wisconsin’s 60 and third-place Minnesota’s 56.
If Ohio State beats last-place St. Thomas in both games this weekend, the Buckeyes will be crowned WCHA regular season champions ahead of their final two games of the season at Wisconsin. Additionally, if Wisconsin loses to Minnesota on Friday or Saturday, Ohio State will only need one win against the Tommies to claim the trophy.
The Buckeyes won their first Julianne Bye Cup last year, defeating then-No. 6 Wisconsin 3-1 at LaBahn Arena in Madison, Wisconsin, in the last game of the season. The Buckeyes finished the 2022-23 season with 70 WCHA points and a 23-4-1 conference record, edging Minnesota, who had 68 points.
“The hardest trophy to win is any regular season trophy because you have to be consistent throughout the year,” senior goaltender Raygan Kirk said. “We always say anyone can win a championship. That’s really just one weekend.”
Since the WCHA began fielding women’s hockey in 1999, regular season conference champions have won the conference tournament 16 of 25 times, and have won national titles in 12 of 24 seasons.
Spooner, Maltais goals crucial in Canada Rivalry Series win
Former Buckeyes Natalie Spooner and Emma Maltais both scored goals in Team Canada’s February Rivalry Series games against Team USA, helping the team to its third-straight series win.
Spooner and Maltais both scored twice in Canada’s 6-1 game seven victory on Sunday in St. Paul, Minnesota. Spooner netted the first goal of the game on the power play before scoring again in the second period to give Canada a 4-1 lead. Maltais scored the Canadians’ final two goals in the third period.
Spooner also scored one goal in Canada’s 3-0 game six win in Regina, Saskatchewan, on Friday. Spooner and Maltais’ contributions helped Team Canada complete a reverse sweep after entering February’s games trailing 3-1 in the series.
Spooner and Maltais competed against two American former Buckeyes, Madison Bizal and Clair DeGeorge, in the three February games.
The 2023-24 Rivalry Series began in November 2023 when graduate defenseman Cayla Barnes and Hannah Bilka helped Team USA defeat Maltais and 2023 Patty Kazmaier Award winner Sophie Jaques on Nov. 8 and 11.
Barnes, Bilka, Maltais and Jaques also played in Rivalry Series games on Dec. 14 and 16, as did graduate forward Jennifer Gardiner, who made her Team Canada senior debut.
Looking ahead: Senior day versus St. Thomas
Ohio State returns to the Ohio State Ice Rink for its final two regular season home games against St. Thomas (8-22-1, 2-21-1 WCHA) on Friday and Saturday.
St. Thomas enters the series on a five-game losing streak. The Tommies have faced the Buckeyes twice this season, losing at home 6-2 on Oct. 20, 2023, and 7-1 Oct. 21, 2023.
Ohio State has beaten St. Thomas in each of the teams’ 10 meetings since the Tommies joined the WCHA in 2021.
St. Thomas freshman forward Ella Boerger leads the Tommies in scoring with 21 points in 31 games this season. Fellow forward Cara Sajevic scored both Tommie goals in the Oct. 20, 2023 defeat, and the freshman is eighth on the team in goals scored with four. Forward Allie Monrean scored the Tommies’ third and final goal of the series Oct. 21, 2023.
St. Thomas played three different goaltenders in the October series: senior Calla Frank, sophomore Maggie Malecha and graduate Olivia King.
Malecha replaced Frank in game one after Frank conceded four goals in the first period. Malecha ended the game with 38 saves and two goals allowed.
King played all three periods of game two, making 38 saves and allowing seven goals. Her 19 appearances, 389 saves and 3.13 goals against average give her the team lead in all three statistical categories.
Barnes said heading into the St. Thomas series, the Buckeyes are focusing on scoring more power-play goals. Ohio State went 0-5 on the power play in its last series at Minnesota State and ranks 14th nationally in power-play percentage at .200.
“We’re taking a hard look at our power play,” Barnes said. “We know that we can be better with the people that we’re putting on the ice and our percentage. We’ve been practicing that and getting some different looks, some different plays, trying to produce a little bit more.”
Following Ohio State’s last home series against Bemidji State, senior forward Jenna Buglioni said her team had a slow start in the Feb. 3 9-1 win. Ahead of the St. Thomas series, the Buckeyes are looking to start out strong in the first period, Barnes said.
“The first time around, it was obviously really early in the season, so it’s important to note that not only are we a different team, but so are they,” Barnes said. “We’re not taking anything for granted and I think that coming out ready to go from the first puck drop on Friday is going to be super important to send a message this weekend.”
