Ohio State senior forward Tatum Skaggs (11) moves the puck down the ice during the Ohio State – Wisconsin game on Nov. 28. Ohio State lost 0-5. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
After a string of close contests and mixed results the past few weeks, the Buckeyes dominated Minnesota State to capture their first series win since Jan. 2.
No. 3 Ohio State (8-4-0) outscored Minnesota State (4-9-1) 10-2 in the series, which included a seven-goal performance in Game 2 to match a team-high on the season.
Game 1
The Buckeyes picked up their second consecutive shutout Friday to open the series with a 3-0 win over Minnesota State.
Ohio State senior forward Tatum Skaggs notched her first goal of the season in Game 1 thanks to assists from senior forward Emma Maltais and freshman defenseman Riley Brengman.
Skaggs did not wait long to find the net again, scoring her second goal two periods later.
“I think that we played all 60 minutes which is something that we were trying to focus on as a team each week and each weekend. I think that we played a unit of five every time that we got out there and that every line was buzzing for us and creating scoring chances so we’re able to feed off of each other’s energy from the start of the game,”“ Skaggs said.
The Buckeyes outshot the Mavericks 55-25.
Ohio State junior goaltender Andrea Braendli made all 25 saves en route to her 42nd career win.
“She was very controlled, she created movement when we needed it, she didn’t cover the puck to keep the momentum going and when we needed a whistle she did,” Muzerall said. “She’s very smart and in tune to the game, so I thought she did a good job of collecting all pucks.”
Game 2
Similarly to the series opener, the Buckeyes were able to put one in the net less than a minute into the match. This time around, senior forward Liz Schepers was the one to find twine in the game’s opening minute.
The early goal set the tone for the Buckeyes, who earned the sweep with a 7-2 victory Saturday.
The early spark charged second-year forward Ramsey Parent to collect her first career goal with just under 15 minutes remaining in the first period.
All seven goals were scored by different players, which Muzerall said showed the scoring prowess of the team.
“When you have that many different people scoring it starts to show the depth of our player. All the goals scored were really hard fought goals. They didn’t slow down, they kept pressing,” Muzerall said.
The Mavericks were able to put two on the board in the 2nd and 3rd periods. However, Ohio State still had nearly twice as many shots on the goal — outshooting Minnesota State 41-26.
The victory also thrust Braendli into the Ohio State history books.
Braendli turned away 13 shots in over 46 minutes in net, en route to her 43rd career win — an Ohio State record.
Ohio State returns to the ice next week to host No. 2 Minnesota Jan. 29 at 6:07 p.m. and Jan. 30 at 3:07 p.m.
