Women’s Hockey Heads To Rochester For 2001 WCHA Tourney – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/7/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey
March 7, 2001
Ohio State
(16-15-3/11-10-3 WCHA)
vs.
St. Cloud State
(17-15-2/12-10-2 WCHA)
COLUMBUS, Ohio-This week, the Ohio State women’s ice hockey team (16-15-3 overall, 11-10-3 in the WCHA) heads to Rochester, Minn. and the 2001 WCHA Championships. The tournament will be held March 8-10 at the Rochester Recreation Center. For the second-consecutive year, Ohio State enters the tourney as the No. 5 seed and will battle No. 4-seeded St. Cloud State at 8 p.m. (EST) March 8. The winner will advance to the semifinal round to face No. 1 Minnesota at 8 p.m. (EST) March 9.
The Bracket Broken Down
All seven teams will participate in the postseason tournament, March 8-10. Although Ohio State and St. Cloud State skated to a 2-2 record in head-to-head competition this season, the Huskies regained the No. 4 spot in the standings following their weekend sweep of MSU, Mankato.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers, with 37 points, clinched the WCHA regular-season title when they swept Wisconsin Feb. 24-25. No. 1 Minnesota receives a first-round bye. In other first-round action, No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth will take on No. 7 MSU, Mankato and No. 3 Wisconsin will battle No. 6 Bemidji State, also for the second-consecutive year. The higher seed is the home team.
WCHA Tournament Schedule
(all times CST)
Quarterfinals, March 8
(2) UMD vs. (7) MSU, Mankato, 1 p.m.
(3) Wisconsin vs. (6) Bemidji State, 4 p.m.
(4) St. Cloud vs. (5) Ohio State, 7 p.m.
Semifinals, March 9
No. 2 or 7 vs. No. 3 or 6, 4 p.m.
(1) Minnesota vs. No. 4 or 5, 7 p.m.
Third Place Game, March 10, 4 p.m.
Game 5 and 6 losers
Championship Game, March 10, 7 p.m.
Game 5 and 6 winners
Last Time Out vs. St. Cloud
Ohio State swept St. Cloud State with back-to-back shutouts, Feb. 24 and 25. The Buckeyes defeated the Huskies, 2-0, Saturday and skated away with a 4-0 blanking Sunday at the National Hockey Center. The shutout losses were the Huskies’ first since Jan. 5. Earlier in the season at Columbus, SCSU swept OSU. The Huskies came out on top, 4-3, in overtime Dec. 8 and 4-1 Dec. 9.
Head Coach Jackie Barto
Jackie Barto is in her second season at the helm of the Ohio State women’s ice hockey program. She was named the first head coach in the program’s history Dec. 14, 1998. Barto led the squad to an 8-26-3 overall record and a 6-15-3 WCHA conference finish in its inaugural season last year. In addition, she coached the Buckeyes in their first-ever postseason tournament, the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Championship. There, the No. 5-seed Buckeyes upset higher seeds No. 4 St. Cloud and No. 3 Wisconsin to claim third place.
Barto came to Ohio State from Providence College, where she was the head coach of the Friars. Under Barto’s guidance, the PC women’s hockey program flourished, compiling a record of 70-53-10 in her five years at the helm.
Barto On The Tournament
“With the way the league has grown and developed this year, the potential is there for an outstanding league championship. All six games could be competitive, many different things can happen. The level of hockey should be outstanding this week in Rochester.
“Keys for us will be to take it one game at a time, one period at a time and focus strictly on St. Cloud. We really want to have an outstanding defensive tournament and generate from that. We’re going in with a lot of momentum, having gone 5-1 in our last six games.”
Buckeyes In The Postseason
Ohio State is 2-1-0 in postseason play. Last season in the inaugural WCHA Tournament at Bloomington, Minn., No. 5-seeded Ohio State knocked off No. 4-seed St. Cloud, 3-2, in the quarterfinals, but fell to No. 1-seed Minnesota-Duluth, 7-1, in the semifinal round. The loss sent the Buckeyes to the third place consolation game to face No. 3-seed Wisconsin. Ohio State stunned the Badgers with a 4-2 upset to claim third place. Freshman Lindsey Ogren had an outstanding tournament, which earned her a spot on the WCHA All-Tournament Team. She finished the tourney with three goals and one assist for four points, including the game-winning tally against St. Cloud State.
2000 WCHA Tournament Results:
Quarterfinals
(2) Minnesota 10 vs. (7) MSU, Mankato 0
(3) Wisconsin 9 vs. (6) Bemidji State 2
(4) St. Cloud 2 vs. (5) Ohio State 3
Semifinals
(2) Minnesota 5 vs. (3) Wisconsin 0
(1) Minnesota-Duluth 7 vs. (5) Ohio State 1
Third Place Game
(3) Wisconsin 2 vs. (5) Ohio State 4
Championship Game
(1) Minnesota-Duluth 2 vs. (2) Minnesota 0
Scouting St. Cloud State
Kerry Brodt Wethington is in her third season at the helm of a Husky squad which skated to a 13-19-3 overall record last year.
The 2000-01 Huskies finished the regular season 17-15-2 overall and 12-10-2 in league play. SCSU is the No. 4 seed heading into the tournament. Frosh Ricki-Lee Doyle leads the Huskies in scoring with 26 goals and 36 assists for 62 points. Fiona McLeod follows with 47 points from 12 goals and 35 assists. Doyle is No. 2 overall in the WCHA in point scoring and she and McLeod lead the league in assists. Sophomore goalie Laura Gieselman is the Huskies’ last line of defense. Through 32 games, Gieselman has amassed a 15-14-2 record, an .892 save percentage and a 3.85 goals against average.
The Huskies-Last Time Out
SCSU earned four points over the weekend by sweeping MSU-Mankato, winning 4-2 Friday and 5-2 Saturday. The sweep gave St. Cloud a one-point advantage over Ohio State in the league standings.
The Mavericks were up, 2-0, Friday until the Huskies scored four unanswered goals in the third period to win the game. Doyle had two goals and an assist. Saturday, Doyle tallied the gamewinner and Amanda Mathison had a two-goal game.
The Buckeyes-Huskies Series
The Buckeyes and Huskies are 4-4-1 in the all-time series, which began last year:
Oct. 22, 1999 @ SCSU Lost, 2-3 Oct. 23, 1999 @ SCSU Won, 6-2 Feb. 25, 2000 @ OSU Tied, 2-2 Feb. 26, 2000 @ OSU Lost, 2-0 March 2, 2000 @ WCHA Tourn. Won, 3-2 Dec. 8, 2000 @ OSU Lost,3-4(ot) Dec. 9, 2000 @ OSU Lost, 1-4 Feb. 24, 2001 @ SCSU Won, 2-0 Feb. 25, 2001 @ SCSU Won, 4-0
Barto On St. Cloud State
“They are a very good team. They have some quality offensive threats and good team speed. They work hard and have good goaltending. We went 2-2 in our series this year, I think it’s going to be an outstanding game. I feel it’s a good matchup for us, we’re excited for the opportunity to play them again.”
Last Weekend
Three Buckeyes recorded two-goal games Saturday night to help Ohio State past visiting Wayne State, 7-1, in the non-conference series finale. Heather Farrell, Shana Frost and Emily Hudak scored two apiece for the Buckeyes.
The Warriors put their only point on the board at 3:19 in the first stanza. Ohio State responded less than five minutes later when Farrell picked up the rebound from Hudak’s shot. Lindsey Ogren had the secondary assist. With eight seconds remaining in the first, Frost scored a power-play goal off a faceoff.
At 8:14 in the second, Hudak notched her first of the game from Frost and Lindsey Steblen. Three minutes later, Frost scored her 20th of the season and second of the game, an unassisted goal, again off the faceoff. Hudak picked up her second of the night at 14:47 when she fired off a shot to the top shelf from just in front of the blue line. At 17:49 in the second, Steblen skated the puck from behind the net, traveled along the boards and launched it past WSU goalie Stacey Bowden. Three and a half minutes into the third period, Farrell tipped in Ogren’s crossing pass for her second of the night and OSU’s seventh goal of the game.
Emma Laaksonen scored the program’s first-ever hat trick Friday and added two assists for five points, a single-game record. Kelli Halcisak tallied five assists, also an Ohio State individual game record, as Ohio State pummeled Wayne State, 8-0.
The OSU power-play unit converted on 5-of-7 opportunities Friday, scoring five-consecutive power-play goals, and went 7-for-13 in the series (53.8%). The Buckeyes held the Warriors scoreless through nine power-play chances.
The Buckeyes outshot the Warriors, 54-13, for a weekend total of 106-19. April Stojak recorded her third-consecutive shutout Friday, picking up only six saves and tallied 12 saves Saturday.
Two-Goal Girls
Heather Farrell, Emily Hudak and Shana Frost each scored twice against Wayne State Saturday. Frost’s two-goal game was her fifth of the season. The sophomore winger, who leads the team in goals scored (20) notched her 19th and 20th tallies Saturday. Frost is second on the team and tied for third in the league in power-play goals with 11. Frost also scored the gamewinner, her fifth of the season.
Laaksonen Honored By WCHA
Following her three-goal, three-assist performance against Wayne State, the WCHA named Ohio State defenseman Emma Laaksonen rookie of the week for the week ending March 4. Laaksonen recorded the first hat trick of her career and first in OSU women’s hockey history Friday. It is the first time Laaksonen has earned rookie of the week honors and the fifth time (second-consecutive) the Buckeyes have claimed a league honor this season:
Oct. 23-Player of the Week-Shana Frost
Oct. 23-Rookie of the Week-Kelli Halcisak
Jan. 29-Rookie of the Week-Kelli Halcisak
Feb. 26-Player of the Week-April Stojak
March 5-Rookie of the Week-Laaksonen
The Night The Records Fell
Ohio State’s 8-0 win over Wayne State Friday left few program records still standing. The Buckeyes, only in their second season, set several new single-game school records.
New Team Record Previous Record Goals, Game (8) 7 (2/18/00 vs. Mankato) Assists, Game (16) 9 (10/23/99 vs. St. Cloud) Points, Game (24) 15 (2/18/00 vs. Mankato) PPG, Game (5) 4 (1/12/01 vs. Bemidji) PPG, Period (3) 2 (four times) Largest Victory (8) 7 (2/18/00 vs. Mankato)
New Individual Record Previous Record Goals (3) Emma Laaksonen 2 (several players) Assists (5) Kelli Halcisak 3 (several players) Assists, Period (3) Emily Hudak 2 (Shana Frost) Points (5) Laaksonen, Halcisak 4 (several players) PPG (3) Emma Laaksonen 2 (several players)
Special Teams
The Buckeyes converted on a season-best 5-of-7 power-play opportunities (71.4%) March 2 and went 7-for-13 in the series. Ohio State held the Warriors scoreless through nine opportunities. The Buckeyes are 45-for-179 on the power-play, or 25.1%. OSU is No. 2 in the WCHA in penalty kills-behind Minnesota-with 140-of-168, or 83.3%. The Buckeyes have not let in a power-play goal since Feb. 17.
PP in past 4 contests: 2/24 at St. Cloud 0-1 2/25 at St. Cloud 2-3 3/2 vs. Wayne State 5-7 3/3 vs. Wayne State 2-6
PK in past 4 contests: 2/24 at St. Cloud 2-2 2/25 at St. Cloud 2-2 3/2 vs. Wayne State 4-4 3/3 vs. Wayne State 5-5
The Senior
Corinne Rosen is the lone senior on the Ohio State roster and has the distinct honor of being the first graduating senior in program history. Rosen joined the team last year in its inaugural season and served as the team’s first captain. The lone Buckeye with prior collegiate hockey experience, Rosen began her career at Providence College. On Dec. 1, 2000, Rosen became the first Ohio State player to join the Century Club for points. She scored the 100th point of her career with an assist in a 7-1 loss to UMD. Through 34 games this season, she is fourth on the team in scoring with 14 goals and 17 assists for 31 points.
The Record-Breaker
Emma Laaksonen scored the first hat trick in Ohio State women’s hockey history Friday night and added two assists. All three of the freshman defender’s goals came on the power play, giving her 15 power-play goals on the season. Laaksonen leads the WCHA and the nation in power-play goals (15) and is second in the league in power-play points (27).
The Leader
Kelli Halcisak leads all Buckeyes in scoring, with 38 points from 13 goals and 25 assists. Her five-assist performance March 2 was a single-game record and helped her move to the top of the all-time Buckeye point-scorers list. She leads the team in assists and is +15.
In The National Spotlight
In the Top 10 poll released Tuesday by U.S. College Hockey Online, the Ohio State women’s ice hockey team received one vote.Three Western Collegiate Hockey Association teams are among the Top 10-No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth, No. 3 Minnesota and No. 7 Wisconsin. The poll consists of ten voters, all coaches from Division I teams.
USCHO.COM DIV. I WOMEN’S (As of March 5) Last Team Record Pts. Week 1. Dartmouth 23-3-1 100 1 2. Minn.-Duluth 23-5-4 89 2 3. Minnesota 23-7-2 77 2 4. Harvard 21-8-0 72 4 5. St. Lawrence 22-6-3 62 5 6. Brown 18-6-3 46 6 7. Wisconsin 19-8-5 42 7 8. Northeastern 16-14-1 30 8 9. New Hampshire 17-16-0 17 9 10.Providence 18-13-3 9 10
Others receiving votes: Niagara (5), Ohio State (1)
On The Plus Side
Eight Buckeyes finished out the regular season on the positive side in the +/- category, as compared to none last season. Kelli Halcisak is +15, Heather Farrell is +6, Jeanne Chapple and Emma Laaksonen are +4 , Shana Frost is +3 and Corinne Rosen, Lindsey Steblen and Lindsey Ogren are +2.
The Troopers
Five Buckeyes have played in every game this season. Corinne Rosen, Emily Hudak, Lindsey Ogren, Christine Patno and April Stojak have logged minutes in all 34 contests.
Buckeyes Score In League Stats
In overall WCHA statistics, Shana Frost is ninth in goals scored (20), Kelli Halcisak is 12th in assists scored (25) and Emma Laaksonen is No. 2 in power-play points (27) and No. 1 in power-play goals (15). Frost is tied for third in power-play goals (11), first in game-winning goals with five and Halcisak is fifth in defenseman scoring with 38 points.
Buckeyes On A Roll
Erin O’Grady has scored 17 points in her last 16 games, including four two-point games. In the 17 games prior, she had scored just one point, an assist, in the first game of the season (against Findlay).
Sophomore defenseman Emily Hudak has had 21 assists in 19 games for the Buckeyes. She too had only one assist in the previous 15 contests, also in the Findlay game. Hudak had four assists in the Wayne State series.
New Year, New Team
Ohio State is 10-4-1 in its past thirteen contests (since Jan. 1). The Buckeyes are 7-1-0 at home since the December hiatus, with their only loss coming against Minnesota.
The First “Goal”
Scoring first has been a goal for the Buckeyes all season. Ohio State has scored the first goal 15 times this season and its opponent has scored first in 19 games. The Buckeyes are 12-2-1 when they score first and 4-13-2 when scored on first.
The Early Lead Gets The Win
Ohio State is 12-1-0 when leading after the first period and 1-11-2 when trailing. When ahead after the second, the Buckeyes are 15-1-1, and they are 1-12-0 when behind.
Follow the Buckeyes Online
Information on the Ohio State women’s hockey team is available online at ohiostatebuckeyes.com. For up-to-the minute women’s hockey scores, statistics and standings around the league and the nation, check out www.collegehockeystats.com.
Final WCHA Regular-Season Standings (As of March 5, 2001) Standings Conference Overall Team W L T PTS. W L T GF GA 1. Minnesota* 18 4 2 38 23 7 2 132 67 2. Minnesota-Duluth 15 5 4 34 23 5 4 171 71 3. Wisconsin 13 6 5 31 19 8 5 131 83 4. St. Cloud State 12 10 2 26 17 15 2 131 128 5. Ohio State 11 10 3 25 16 15 3 110 93 6. Bemidji State 6 17 1 13 9 23 1 91 178 7. MSU, Mankato 0 23 1 1 2 30 2 31 137 *Regular season champion
