Women’s Hockey Blanks St. Cloud State, 5-0, In WCHA Quarterfinal – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/8/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey
March 8, 2001%^$
%^$%^$%^$Box Score%^$%^$%^$%^$
%^$ROCHESTER, Minn.-Solid forechecking and a stingy defense helped%^$the No. 5 seed Ohio State women’s hockey team defeat the No. 4 seed St.%^$Cloud State Huskies, 5-0, Thursday night in the quarterfinal round of%^$the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Championship at the Rochester%^$Recreation Center. The Buckeyes advance to the semifinal round where%^$they will face the No. 1 seed, Minnesota, Friday night. Corinne Rosen%^$(Sr., Milwaukee, Wis./Pomfret) and Emma Laaksonen (Fr., Espoo,%^$Finland/Makelanrinteen) netted two power-play goals apiece for Ohio%^$State and goalie April Stojak (So., Kent, Ohio/Shattuck-St. Mary’s)%^$stopped all 14 Husky shots. The postseason win marks the third time the%^$Buckeyes have shut out St. Cloud State this year and improves their%^$record to 17-15-3 overall. St. Cloud State finished its season at%^$17-16-2.%^$
%^$Erin O’Grady (Fr., London, Ontario/Culver Academy) got things%^$rolling for Ohio State at 10:05 in the first stanza. O’Grady accepted a%^$crossing pass from Lindsey Steblen (So., Clayton, N.Y./Immaculate Heart%^$Central) and nailed a shot to the top shelf, beating Husky goalie Laura%^$Gieselman. Less than four minutes later, at 13:45, Laaksonen scored her%^$first of the game on the power play. O’Grady fed Emily Hudak (So.,%^$Marblehead, Mass./Cushing Academy), who set up Laaksonen. The Buckeyes,%^$who held the Huskies to three shots on net, skated into the first%^$intermission with a 2-0 lead.%^$
%^$Just 22 seconds into the second period, Ohio State capitalized%^$on another power-play opportunity. Kelli Halcisak (Fr., Grosse Isle,%^$Mich./Shattuck-St. Mary’s) set up Hudak, who fired off a shot at the far%^$edge of the faceoff circle. Rosen’s tip found the back of the net and%^$put the Buckeyes up, 3-0. At 12:46, Laaksonen blocked St. Cloud’s%^$attempt to clear the puck out of their zone and skated it in for her%^$second goal of the night and 19th of the season. Laaksonen leads the%^$league and the nation with 17 power-play tallies. Rosen put the%^$finishing touches on Ohio State’s win with her second of the night,%^$again on the power play, at 18:21. She tipped in Halcisak’s shot from%^$Hudak. The Buckeyes held the Huskies to just three shots in the second%^$stanza.%^$
%^$Neither team was able to convert in the third period as Stojak%^$denied all eight Husky shots. She recorded her seventh shutout of the%^$season, stopping all 14 St. Cloud shots. Geiselman had 24 saves. The%^$Buckeyes outshot the Huskies, 29-14.%^$
%^$Ohio State went 4-for-6 on the power play and held the Huskies%^$scoreless through four chances.%^$
%^$”I feel we’re playing extremely well as a team right now,”%^$Jackie Barto, OSU head coach, said. “I think that has been the key,%^$everyone is contributing and playing a major role. We feel very%^$confident in our game. Our power play has been on a roll. At this point%^$in the year, if your power play and penalty kill are going for you, that%^$can make the difference. I’m extremely pleased with our effort. To come%^$out this evening and play such a solid game in all three zones is a%^$great start to the tournament.”%^$
%^$”I feel really excited and really confident,” Rosen said. “I%^$think everyone on our team is really confident right now that we’re%^$going to take home another one. We’re just going to come out and play%^$hard. Everyone is really positive and is having a good time and enjoying%^$the tournament atmosphere.”%^$
%^$Ohio State will take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers Friday at 8%^$p.m. (EST) at the Rochester Recreation Center. As the No. 1 seed, UM%^$earned a bye in the first round. The winner will face either No. 3 seed%^$Wisconsin or No. 2 seed Minnesota-Duluth in the championship game at 8%^$p.m. (EST) Saturday. The losers of both games will play for third place%^$at 5 p.m. (EST) Saturday.%^$
%^$
Scoring by Period%^$ 1 2 3 F%^$Ohio State 2 3 0 5%^$St. Cloud State 0 0 0 0%^$
%^$Shots on Goal%^$ 1 2 3 F%^$OSU 7 13 9 29%^$SCSU 3 3 8 14%^$
%^$Saves by Period%^$ 1 2 3 F%^$OSU-Stojak (60:00) 3 3 8 14%^$SCSU-Gieselman (60:00) 5 10 9 24%^$
%^$Scoring Summary
%^$1st period
%^$OSU-Erin O’Grady (Lindsey Steblen), 10:05
%^$OSU-Emma Laaksonen (Emily Hudak, O’Grady), 13:45, ppg
%^$2nd period
%^$OSU-Corinne Rosen (Hudak, Kelli Halcisak), 00:22, ppg
%^$OSU-Laaksonen (unassisted), 12:46, ppg
%^$OSU-Rosen (Halcisak, Hudak), 18:21, ppg
%^$3rd period
%^$No scoring
%^$
%^$
Penalties/Minutes%^$ 1 2 3 F%^$OSU 1/2 2/4 1/2 4/8%^$SCSU 2/4 4/8 0/0 6/12%^$
%^$Power Play
%^$OSU-4-for-6 (.667)
%^$SCSU-0-for-4 (.000)
%^$
