Bemidji State First Stop For No. 10 Buckeyes – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/9/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey
Oct. 9, 2001
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COLUMBUS, Ohio-The Ohio State women’s hockey team (0-0-0 overall, 0-0-0 in the WCHA) is set to open its season after nearly a month of training. First stop for the No. 10 Buckeyes: Bemidji, Minn. Ohio State will face off against Western Collegiate Hockey Association foe Bemidji State at 3:05 p.m. (EDT) Friday and Saturday at the John S. Glas Fieldhouse.
The Squad
Sixteen returning letterwinners (including goaltender Melissa Glaser, who sat out last season with a medical redshirt) and six newcomers will suit up Friday under third-year head coach Jackie Barto.
In The Top Ten
USA Today and American Hockey Magazine released their second preseason Top 10 poll Oct. 9. Ohio State is No. 10. The preseason national ranking is a first for the program, which finished the 2000-01 season at No. 8. Only three other Western Collegiate Hockey Association schools-No. 1 Minnesota-Duluth, No. 4 Wisconsin and No. 7 Minnesota-are ranked in the Top 10. The Buckeyes will face all but two of the ranked teams this season. The Buckeyes also are 10th in the U.S. College Hockey Online (USCHO.com) preseason women’s poll.
Barto Returns For Third Year
On Dec. 14, 1998, Jackie Barto became the first head coach in Ohio State women’s hockey history. Nearly two and a half years later, on March 10, 2001, Barto’s young Buckeye squad took center stage at the WCHA Championship in a dramatic run for the title. The Buckeyes’ strong finish was a fitting end to their second campaign, which saw them skate to an 18-16-3 record (11-10-3 in the WCHA) and finish No. 8 in the national polls. Now in her third year as mentor, Barto has compiled a 26-42-2 record (.312) and is 17-25-6 (.417) in league play. Her career record of 96-95-16 (.502) includes five years at her alma mater, Providence College, where her squads made four ECAC Tournament apperances, winning the championship in 1995. Scouting Bemidji State
New head coach Jason Lesteberg is at the helm of the Beavers this year and will look to guide his squad up the ranks of the WCHA in 2001-02. Bemidji State finished sixth in the conference race last season with a 9-24-1 overall mark (6-17-1 in the WCHA). Up front for the Beavers will be returning top scorer Amber Fryklund (27-22-49). Caesare Stimson and Alicia Kinsman were BSU’s other two 20-plus point scorers last season, with 27 and 20, respectively. Junior Lisa Peters is the program’s top returning defenseman and Bre Dedrickson is the last line of defense in net. Dedrickson sported an .883 save percentage in her sophomore campaign.
Bemidji State-Last Time Out
The Beavers are coming off a two-game exhibition series with Manitoba.
The Buckeyes vs. The Beavers
Ohio State’s all-time series with Bemidji State is dead even at four wins apiece. In 2001-02, the Buckeyes took three of four away from the Beavers. The teams last met Jan. 13, 2001, at Columbus, Ohio, and the Buckeyes emerged with a 6-1 victory. Shana Frost picked up a goal and four assists in the Jan. 12-13 series.
Last Four Meetings
Nov. 3, 2000 at Bemidji State L, 1-2 Nov. 4, 2000 at Bemidji State W, 5-2 Jan. 12, 2001 at Ohio State W, 7-4 Jan. 13, 2001 at Ohio State W, 6-1 2000-01 Season In Review
In just its second season, Ohio State finished with an 18-16-3 overall record (11-10-3 in the WCHA) and ended up No. 8 in the national polls. The Buckeyes were 12-5-1 after Jan. 1 and nearly captured the WCHA Championship title after blanking the No. 4 seed St. Cloud State (5-0) and No. 1 Minnesota (4-0) to advance to the championship game. Fifth-seeded Ohio State fell, 3-0, to eventual NCAA national champion Minnesota-Duluth.
Brand New Buckeyes
Ohio State welcomes six freshmen to its lineup this season. Natalie Lamm (Hibbing, Minn.) will add to the Buckeyes’ depth in goal. An already strong defense will get a boost from Jaclyn Haines (Rossland, British Columbia) and walk-on Monica Kolb (Rochester, N.Y.). New faces up front include Jeni Creary (Shell Lake, Saskatchewan), Jennifer Desson (Niagara Falls, Ontario) and Meaghan Mulvaney (Sylvania, Ohio).
The Veterans
The offense returns five of its seven 20-plus point scorers from last year, including sophomore defenseman Emma Laaksonen, who was second in points (38) and led the nation in power-play goals (17), junior wing Shana Frost who led in goals (20) and junior defenseman Emily Hudak, the assist leader (27). Not returning are 2000-01 top scorer Kelli Halcisak, (13-27-40) and Corinne Rosen. Halcisak transfered to Providence after last season and Rosen completed her eligibility.
The Imports
With the addition of Jaclyn Haines, Jeni Creary and Jennifer Desson, the number of Buckeyes who are from Canada grew to seven. Five are from Ontario, with Haines and Creary hailing from British Columbia and Saskatchewan, respectively. Fifteen are from the United States (six from Minnesota and four from Ohio) and Laaksonen is from Espoo, Finland.
Recapping Toronto
The Buckeyes fell, 3-1, to the Toronto Varsity Blues in an exhibition contest Saturday at the OSU Ice Arena. Rookie right wing Jeni Creary scored for the Buckeyes at the 18:26 mark of the second period. April Stojak tended the goal for the Buckeyes for 30:18, had four saves and allowed two goals. Melissa Glaser played 28:48, stopping nine Blues’ shots. Ohio State was 0-for-1 on the power play, while Toronto converted once on three chances. Statistics from the game will not count in regular season totals.
Buckeye All-Stars
Missing from the Ohio State lineup Saturday were Emily Hudak, Erin O’Grady, Emma Laaksonen and assistant coach Sue Kempf. Hudak, O’Grady and Laaksonen joined an elite team of 20 WCHA women’s league all-stars in Wisconsin and Minnesota Oct. 5 and 6 for a two-game series with the U.S. Women’s National Team. The U.S. took both games, winning 3-0 Friday and 6-1 Saturday. Kempf assisted head coach Shannon Miller behind the bench for the all-stars. The team was selected by the all-star team coaching staff with input from all seven league head coaches.
Next Up For The Buckeyes
Following a second road series at New Hampshire–7 p.m. Oct. 19-20 at UNH’s Whittemore Center–Ohio State returns home to face Wisconsin. The Buckeyes face off against the Badgers Oct. 26 and 27 at 7:05 p.m. at the OSU Ice Arena.
