Senior forward Jenna Buglioni (left) and senior defenseman Lauren Bernard (right) were honored as WCHA Players of the Month for February, the conference announced Tuesday. Credit: Aiden Ridgway, Sandra Fu | Lantern Photographers
Two Buckeyes were recognized as February’s Western Collegiate Hockey Association Players of the Month, the conference announced Tuesday.
Senior forward Jenna Buglinoi was named Forward of the Month after leading the Buckeyes in points in February, and senior defenseman Lauren Bernard was honored as Defenseman of the Month as she led the team in assists.
“I’ve been trying to take care of the little details,” Buglioni said. “I’ve been trying to work on my faceoff percentage, and I think for me, being a key part of our penalty kill has been something that I’ve been trying to take a lot of pride in.”
Penalty kill contributions played a major role in Buglioni’s team-leading 13 points and seven goals in February. Buglioni scored two shorthanded goals on the way to her first career hat trick in a Feb. 3 win against Bemidji State. Buglioni is the only player in Buckeye history to score multiple shorthanded goals in one game.
Bernard also scored shorthanded in February, earning the game-winning goal as Ohio State clinched the regular season conference title against St. Thomas Feb. 17. Bernard led the Buckeyes with eight assists in February, giving her a total of 11 points this month.
Defenders like Bernard contributing to the scoresheet are crucial to the Buckeyes’ success, Buglioni said.
“All of our defensemen are very skilled, not only defensively, but also offensively,” Buglioni said. “That really helps our offense click when they’re getting involved. Watching Lauren, she’s one of the rocks of our [defensive] corps and has been working really hard.”
While honored to receive a Player of the Month award, Buglioni said she thinks her teammates could qualify for the same honor.
“We have a full roster of girls that could be getting these awards every month,” Buglioni said. “It shows that we have the top players in the league, and there’s a lot of good things that we’re doing, but we try not to put too much emphasis on that because for us, it’s really about our team winning.”
