The No. 2 Buckeyes pose on the ice following their seven round shootout win over No. 1 Wisconsin Saturday during the Frozen Confines: Big Ten Hockey Series at Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL. Credit: Ohio State Athletics
It took 60 minutes of regulation, a full overtime period and seven rounds of shootout hockey to break a 3-3 tie.
But after bumpy ice conditions caused several Wisconsin women’s ice hockey skaters to lose their pucks during shootout efforts, Ohio State forward Jenna Buglioni buried the 14th shot in the shootout round to lift the Buckeyes to a 4-3 victory against the Badgers Saturday at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
Looking to erase the embarrassment of a 6-0 loss to the No. 1 Badgers Thursday in Madison, Wisconsin, the No. 2 Buckeyes came out firing with a goal 49 seconds in from forward Jordyn Petrie – her 10th of the season.
“(Petrie’s goal) was big for us,” Buglioni said. “The first few minutes of the period and the last few are the most critical. We have to know the time on the clock, so for us to strike right away helped us settle into the game.”
Wisconsin soon responded with two goals of its own, one from defenseman Caroline Harvey and another from forward Kirsten Simms at 5:52 and 10:01, respectively.
After going scoreless on its next 28 shots, Ohio State needed forward Makenna Webster to provide the equalizer less than two minutes into the second to tie the game at 2-2 tie heading into the third period.
To open the third, Ohio State forward Joy Dunne snuck the puck through the net to give the Buckeyes their first lead since the opening seconds of the first period.
Then, things got interesting.
A minute later, Simms committed a body check that sent her to the penalty box. Eight seconds after her return to the ice, Wisconsin forward Laila Edwards was called for another body-checking penalty, giving Ohio State nearly four-straight minutes of power-play action – a duration of time that did not see the Buckeyes score.
“If you actually watch, the power play was executed beautifully,” Ohio State head coach Nadine Muzerall said. “We just didn’t finish, and that’s where we need to get it done to kind of put that nail in the coffin. It is hard. But again, we talked about character. It’s very tough to play a game in the environment we were in and against an opponent that just manhandled us not too long ago. Even though we didn’t score, we learned a lot about our team of (how to keep) leaning in and keep persevering.”
Wisconsin kept its chances at victory alive with a goal at 14:17 in the third period from forward Kelly Gorbatenko, bringing the score to 3-3, a tally that would stand through the overtime period, partly because ice conditions caused the puck to often lose its steam.
“Every time you have the No. 1 and No. 2 team in the country going at it, when there’s that much ice, it showcases a lot of skill and a lot of speed,” Buglioni said. “So, it was definitely back and forth. We had our chances, and they had a few chances.”
Following the overtime period, six Badgers and six Buckeyes all attempted shots to try and pick up a point in Western Collegiate Hockey Association play.
After three pucks were fumbled by Wisconsin skaters due to ice that had not been resurfaced in over 23 minutes of game time, skating towards Wisconsin netminder Ava McNaughton, Buglioni scored a five-hole shot that gave Ohio State the shootout win in what has turned into a storied rivalry.
“It didn’t matter if I got that tap. I was going to be happy and try to put in my best effort. But, it’s all about our team and what’s going to be the best for us to succeed and try to get the win,” Buglioni said.
Even with the loss to Wisconsin (20-1-1, 14-1-1 WCHA) earlier in the week, the Buckeyes (13-5-3, 8-5-3 WCHA) used the trip to Chicago to solidify the state of Ohio as a hockey state.
“I think it’s great that we’re putting Ohio on the map in terms of hockey, and I know we’ve done that for a little while now, but it’s just hard to kind of feel like you’re always grinding and grinding to prove hockey’s good in Ohio. It’s difficult, but that’s why we like it. We don’t want anything that’s just so easy, right?,” Muzerall said.
Ohio State next hosts Bemidji State in Columbus at the Ohio State Ice Rink Jan. 10-11.
