Dec. 5, 2014
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State women’s hockey team skated to a 2-2 overtime tie with eighth-ranked Minnesota Duluth Friday evening at the OSU Ice Rink. The Bulldogs (11-5-3, 6-5-2-1 WCHA) won the shootout, 1-0 in three rounds, to pick up the extra point in the WCHA standings. The Buckeyes (11-5-3, 6-5-2-1 WCHA) will look to rebound Saturday when they return to home ice at 6:07 p.m. (ET) to conclude the series with UMD.
The Buckeyes held strong defensively in the first behind the play of redshirt junior goalie Stacy Danczak. The Macedonia, Ohio native was credited with eight saves, while the Buckeyes went 1-for-1 on the penalty kill. At the end of the first, the game remained scoreless with shots also even, 8-8.
Ohio State got on the board at 10:01 in the second off a goal from senior Danielle Gagne. Relaying a shot attempt by fellow senior Kari Schmitt, Gagne netted her fifth goal of the season. The play was also assisted by sophomore Claudia Kepler. Danczak was credited with 11 stops, including a breakaway attempt from Minnesota Duluth forward Zoe Hickel at 14:47. The Buckeye penalty kill unit went 1-for-1, and Ohio State held a 15-11 advantage in shots over UMD for the period.
Minnesota Duluth powered back in the final period, with forward Ashleigh Brykaliuk slipping one past Danczak to lock the game, 1-1, at 4:27. The goal came on one of two man-up situations for UMD in the game. Ohio State, however, was quick to respond behind the effort of senior Taylor Kuehl. On a power play at 8:32, Kuehl found the back of the net off a feed from classmates Sara Schmitt and Kari Schmitt. The Buckeyes maintained the one-goal lead until 15:58, when UMD forward Katerina Mrazova scored an even strength goal to even the score, 2-2. Neither team was able to score the go-ahead goal in regulation, sending the game to extra time. In the third, the Bulldogs outshot the Buckeyes 10-7.
The teams continued to match each other in overtime, with Ohio State holding a slight 3-1 advantage in shots. Time expired with the game ending in a 2-2 tie. A shootout was then conducted to determine the recipient of the extra conference point, which went in Minnesota Duluth’s favor.
For the game, Danczak recorded 28 saves in 64:56 for the Buckeyes, while UMD goalie Kayla Black contributed 31 stops in 65 minutes for the Bulldogs. Ohio State went 1-for-4 on the power play and 1-for-2 on the penalty kill. The Buckeyes ultimately held a 33-30 advantage in shots.
