Ohio State sophomore forward Gabby Rosenthal (15) locks in during the puck drop during the Ohio State-Minnesota game on Nov.15. Ohio State won 3-1. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | For the Lantern
For Ohio State women’s hockey, goals came in pairs Friday night.
It was just a 19-second difference between the first two, as back-to-back scoring strikes from junior forwards Liz Schepers and Emma Maltais gave the No. 5 Buckeyes (17-6-4, 10-4-3 WCHA) a lead they wouldn’t relinquish in a 7-2 win against Bemidji State (14-13-2, 8-10-1).
Junior goaltender Lynsey Wallace got her fifth start of the season, improving to 4-1-0 behind a 17-save performance that kept the Beavers unable to stay within striking distance.
With the Buckeyes up big, freshman goalie Quinn Kuntz made her second career appearance to close out the game.
“Wallace made some key saves, key moments for us when it was close,” Ohio State head coach Nadine Muzerall said. “Then being able to put in Quinn –– these people that work behind the scenes all the time that you don’t get to see –– it was nice that it was a full team effort tonight.”
However, it was the offensive onslaught from the Buckeyes that helped keep pressure off their second and third-string goaltenders.
In the second period, a pair of sophomores –– defenseman Sophie Jaques and forward Gabby Rosenthal –– scored another pair of goals a minute apart to quickly take a commanding 4-0 lead for the Buckeyes.
Jaques scored on a straight shot following an attempt from Rosenthal was redirected onto her stick.
After the fourth goal, Bemidji swapped goaltenders, as junior goaltender Kerigan Dowhy relieved redshirt junior goaltender Lauren Bench –– who saved 21 shots.
“We scout all goaltenders and something that we take seriously,” Muzerall said. “I think [they] listened at film and capitalized on those opportunities.”
In the final period, Bemidji State junior defenseman Lydia Passolt scored an early goal to put her team on the scoreboard down 5-1.
With tensions high to score another goal, Bemidji State committed two penalties to give Ohio State a five-on-three advantage. Rosenthal’s second goal of the night on the power play kept the Buckeyes up five scores.
After a third period goal from Ohio State sophomore forward Paetyn Levis, Kuntz relieved Wallace in goal. She saved five Bemidji State shot attempts, yet couldn’t stop a late attempt by Passolt to put the game at a 7-2 finish.
Rosenthal finished with three points on the night, but she said Schepers and Maltais’ early goals set the tone. A Bemidji State goaltending mishap helped the Buckeyes score back-to-back quickly, and the first period ended with a 16-5 shot differential in favor of Ohio State.
“Those two goals with the goalie coming out were super important,” Rosenthal said. “It gave us a lot of momentum and getting that odd goal was just fun.”
The series will close out Saturday afternoon with a 3:07 p.m. puck drop between the Buckeyes and Beavers at the Ohio State Ice Rink.
