Maltais Sets Ohio State Point Record in Buckeyes’ 4-0 Shutout of St. Thomas

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 2 Ohio State women’s hockey team shutout St. Thomas, 4-0, Saturday night at the St. Thomas Ice Arena. The game was nothing short of momentous as graduate forward Emma Maltais broke the program record for career points (171) and senior goaltender Quinn Kuntz earned her first win and first shutout in her first career start for the Buckeyes, who improved to 9-1-1 with the victory.

How it Happened

Ohio State opened the game with two goals in the first eight minutes of play. Emma Peschel put the Buckeyes on the board at 3:49. Sloane Matthews made a stop on the Tommies’ attempt to clear the puck out of their zone. Brooke Bink collected the St. Thomas turnover and passed to Peschel, who sent a shot past Tommie goaltender Saskia Maurer.

Sophie Jaques added another goal for Ohio State at 7:48. This time, she made a stop on the St. Thomas rush and skated the puck into Tommie territory. After her initial shot was saved by Maurer, she recovered the rebound and buried it in the St. Thomas goal to put the Buckeyes ahead, 2-0.

Ohio State was quick to extend its lead in the second period as Jenna Buglioni lit the lamp on the team’s first possession off the opening faceoff, just seven seconds into the frame. Jaques collected the faceoff from Gabby Rosenthal and rushed into the St. Thomas zone. She found Buglioni, who finished glove-side high on Maurer.

The Buckeyes snuck in another goal with just 19 seconds to play in the second frame. Emma Maltais won the faceoff and sent the puck into the Tommie goal crease, where Paetyn Levis was waiting to knock it into the St. Thomas goal.

While Ohio State wouldn’t score another goal for the remainder of the game, the Buckeyes’ senior goaltender Quinn Kuntz kept St. Thomas off the board to earn the team’s second shutout of the season. The Tommies earned a penalty shot at 11:22 in the third period and Kuntz made the stop for Ohio State. She finished the game with a career-high 16 saves to anchor the Buckeyes to the win.

Game Notes

• With an assist on the Buckeyes’ final goal of the game, Emma Maltais became the Ohio State record holder for career points. She has recorded 171 points on 56 goals and 115 assists to move ahead of Laura McIntosh, who had 170 points during her career from 2009-12.
• Freshman Emma Peschel tallied her first career goal in the first game of the series, scoring the Buckeyes’ first goal of the evening at 3:59 into the game. The Edina, Minn. native has now recorded two points for Ohio State this season.
• Jaques continues to average 1.00 goals per game after scoring her 11th goal of the season against St. Thomas. The graduate defenseman led the Buckeyes with two points in the contest, adding an assist for a team-best 17 points.
• Saturday was a day of first for senior goaltender Quinn Kuntz. She earned her first win and first shutout in her first career start for the Buckeyes. The Warroad, Minn. native has now earned 29 saves for her career.
• For the seventh time this season, Ohio State has outshot its opponent by more than double. The Buckeyes tallied 51 shots on goal and held the Tommies to just 16.
• With the win, the Buckeyes improve to 5-0-0 on the road this season.

Statistically Speaking
Shots: Ohio State 51, St. Thomas 16
Saves: Ohio State (Kuntz) 16, St. Thomas (Maurer) 47
Power Play: Ohio State 2-4, St. Thomas 1-5
Faceoffs: Ohio State 38, St. Thomas 18
Ohio State Scoring: Jaques (1-1-2), Buglioni (1-0-1), Levis (1-0-1), Peschel (1-0-1), Bink (0-1-1), Maltais (0-1-1), Matthews (0-1-1), Rosenthal (0-1-1)

Up Next

The Buckeyes and Tommies meet for game two of the series tomorrow, Sunday, at 3 p.m. from the St. Thomas Ice Arena. The game will be streamed on B1G+ (subscription required).

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