No. 8 Women’s Ice Hockey and No. 3 UMD Meet Again – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/23/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey
Jan. 23, 2002
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COLUMBUS, Ohio-The No. 8 Ohio State women’s hockey team (13-7-4 overall, 7-6-3 in the WCHA) looks to improve on an 8-1-1 record in its last 10 games entering the most difficult portion of its league schedule. Defending national champion No. 3 Minnesota-Duluth kicks off a string of eight-consecutive WCHA games for the Buckeyes, six of which will be contested in the friendly confines of the OSU Ice Rink. Opening faceoff between the Buckeyes and Bulldogs (15-4-3 overall, 10-4-2 in the WCHA) is at 7:05 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
The Broadcasts
For the first time, fans will be able to tune in to Ohio State women’s hockey on the Internet. Tom Hansen of WDSM-AM 710 in Duluth, Minn., will provide the play-by-play for both games this weekend. The broadcasts also can be heard live via the Internet by going to https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com and clicking on the women’s hockey link under “Live Coverage.”
Barto On The Series
“This is going to be a great WCHA series. I’m very excited about how we are playing as a team-we are looking to become a better hockey team every day. We have played some great series against Duluth, and I’m looking for us to leave it all on the ice this weekend. As crunch time nears, we’re hoping to move up in the league standings.”
Frost Named WCHA Player of The Week
The WCHA announced it has named Ohio State wing Shana Frost player of the week for the week ending Jan 20. After recording just two points in the six games prior to this weekend, Frost helped carry the Buckeyes to a defeat of No. 6 St. Lawrence and a tie with No. 4 Dartmouth with five points in two games. Against the Big Green, she scored back-to-back goals in less than a minute to put Ohio State ahead, 5-4, in the third period. She also had the primary assist on both of Jeanne Chapple’s back-to-back goals in the second. Her two goals came on only four shots and she was +1 in the game. The award is Frost’s first and the fifth league honor for the Buckeyes this season.
Buckeyes Move Up In National Rankings
Ohio State is No. 8 in both the U.S. College Hockey Online (USCHO.com) Women’s poll, released Jan. 21, and the Jan. 22nd USA Today/American Hockey Magazine poll. The ranking, the highest for the Buckeyes this season, comes following Ohio State’s 3-2 win over No. 6 St. Lawrence and tie with No. 4 Dartmouth. Three other WCHA schools-No. 1 Minnesota, No. 3 Minnesota-Duluth and No. 9 Wisconsin-are in the Top 10.
USCHO.com Women’s POLL (Jan. 21) Team Record Last 1. Minnesota 17-2-5 1 2. Northeastern 18-2-0 3 3. Minnesota-Duluth 15-4-3 2 4. Dartmouth 12-2-2 6 5. Niagara 17-6-0 5 6. St. Lawrence 13-7-2 4 7. Mercyhurst 18-5-1 7 8. Ohio State 13-7-4 9 9. Brown 11-6-1 nr 10. Wisconsin 13-8-2 8 Receiving Votes: Princeton (3), Harvard (1), New Hampshire (1)
Ohio State vs. The Nation
In national statistics as of Jan. 22, (compiled by collegehockeystats.com) the Buckeye power-play unit is second with a conversion percentage of 30.1 (28-of-93), just one-tenth of a point behind national leader Harvard. Jeni Creary is the national scoring leader, with 36 points (21 goals, 15 assists) and ranks tied for seventh in points per game (1.50). Creary is fifth in goals per game (0.88), second in power-play goals (9) and second in rookie points per game.
A Record Made To Be Broken
With a power-play tally Saturday against St. Lawrence, Jeni Creary broke Ohio State’s single-season record for goals. Creary has 21, one more than the record set last season by Shana Frost. The rookie wing is the leader in the WCHA among point scorers and goal scorers. She also is on top in power-play points (16) and power-play goals. Creary leads the team in every offensive category, including shots (116) and +/- rating (+12).
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 13-7-4 in her third year as mentor, Barto has compiled a 39-49-10 (.407) record and is 24-31-9 (.445) in league play at Ohio State. Her career record of 109-102-20 (.538) includes five years at her alma mater, Providence, where her squads made four ECAC tournament appearances, winning the championship in 1995.
Scouting Minnesota-Duluth
The Bulldogs were at the top of the national rankings the entire first part of the season before getting swept by Wisconsin (Jan. 6-7) and Minnesota (Jan. 18-19) for their only four losses. UMD captured the inaugural NCAA Women’s Frozen Four title in 2001 after defeating Ohio State to claim the WCHA championship.
Bulldogs To Watch
Junior forwards Maria Rooth and Hanne Sikio continue to battle it out for the scoring lead. Both check in with 28 points, Rooth with 16 goals and 12 assists and Sikio with 13 goals and 15 helpers. Tricia Guest is the highest scorer on the blue line with 16 points (10 goals, six assists). Junior Patricia Sautter and senior Tuula Puputti are splitting time between the pipes, having each seen action in 12 games. Puputti, Emma Laaksonen’s teammate on Team Finland, is carrying a 1.78 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. Sautter sports a 1.22 gaa and a .939 save percentage.
Bulldog Head Coach Shannon Miller
Shannon Miller has directed the Bulldogs to a national championship, a WCHA regular season title and two WCHA tournament championships in her three years at the helm of UMD. Prior to her arrival in Duluth, Miller guided Canada to a silver medal in the 1998 Olympic Games and the gold at the 1997 World Championships.
Minnesota-Duluth-Last Time Out
No. 1 Minnesota swept the Bulldogs to gain sole possession of first place in the league standings. UMD fell, 1-0, Friday and 3-1 Saturday to the host Gophers. Erika Holst had the lone tally for the Bulldogs Saturday.
The Buckeyes vs. The Bulldogs
The Buckeyes and then-No. 1 Bulldogs skated to a 3-3 overtime tie in the teams’ last meeting, Nov. 24, 2001, at the DECC Arena. UMD defeated Ohio State, 4-2, in the series opener the night before. Shana Frost scored both Buckeye goals. This weekend, the Buckeyes are looking for just their second win over UMD, as their first (a 2-0 victory) came Dec. 2, 2000, at the OSU Ice Rink. UMD leads the all-time series, 9-1-2.
Last Five Meetings Nov. 23, 2001 at Minnesota-Duluth L, 2-4 Nov. 24, 2001 at Minnesota-Duluth T, 3-3 March 10, 2001 WCHA championship L, 0-3 Feb. 10, 2001 at Minn.-Duluth L, 5-7 Feb. 9, 2001 at Minn.-Duluth L, 6-7 (ot)
Ohio State vs. The Top 10
The Buckeyes have faced six ranked opponents this season and have a combined 2-5-3 mark against the Top 10. Prior to defeating No. 4 St. Lawrence and tying No. 6 Dartmouth, Ohio State handed then-No. 6 New Hampshire (12-5-2) a loss (4-3) and tied then-No. 1 Minnesota-Duluth (3-3) and then-No. 6 Wisconsin (3-3).
Jump Around
After beginning last week in a tie for fourth with Bemidji State in the league standings, Ohio State jumped into a tie for third with Wisconsin following its sweep of St. Cloud State and Bemidji State’s tie and loss to Minnesota. The Badgers then took two games from Minnesota State to take sole possession of third place with 21 points.
Recapping St. Lawrence And Dartmouth
Ohio State defeated St. Lawrence, 3-2, Saturday and tied Dartmouth, 5-5, Sunday. Juniors Shana Frost and Emily Hudak carried the Buckeyes with five points apiece through two games. After each picked up an assist in the St. Lawrence game, they combined to score eight points against Dartmouth. Frost scored twice and added two helpers, while Hudak had an assist on four-consecutive Buckeye goals. Jeanne Chapple also scored twice Sunday. Melissa Glaser had an outstanding weekend in net, picking up 51 saves in two games.
Special Teams Shine
Special teams played an integral in the Buckeyes’ win over the Saints Saturday. Ohio State went 2-for-4 (50 percent) on the power-play and was flawless on the penalty kill, holding the Saints scoreless through seven power-play chances. Sunday, the Buckeyes held the Big Green to one goal in four chances. The Buckeye power-play unit is second in the country with a 30.1 conversion percentage (28-of-93). Ohio State improved its penalty kill to 81-of-96 (84.4 percent), good enough for second in the league.
Back-to-Back Bucks
Two Buckeyes scored back-to-back goals in the Dartmouth game. Jeanne Chapple tied the game at three in the beginning of the second period with goals at 1:59 and 7:44, respectively. Shana Frost put the Buckeyes ahead, 5-4, in the third with two goals in one minute. She scored on the power play at :58 and tallied again at 1:39.
Not Wasting Any Time
The Buckeyes converted in the opening minutes of all three periods Sunday against Dartmouth: 4:43 in the first, 1:59 in the second and 00:58 in the third.
Salt Lake City Bound
Emma Laaksonen will remain in the lineup for one more week before joining her Finnish teammates in preparation for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. A member of the Finnish National Team when it won the bronze medal in the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan, Laaksonen was one of eight (three defensemen) to be guaranteed a spot on the Olympic Team when Finland convened for camp earlier this year. The 2002 Games will take place in Salt Lake City, Utah, with women’s hockey competing Feb. 12-21.
Buckeye Hot Streak
Jeni Creary is on a scoring streak, having posted 12 points (6G, 6A) in six games since Jan. 4. She is on pace to break her current best scoring streak of seven games, which she set Oct. 27-Nov. 18. Creary has recorded nine multiple-point outings this season, including three games with three or more points.
A Tough Act To Follow
The Buckeyes ended the first half of this season in perfect fashion, with series sweeps over Minnesota State and Princeton. Going into 2002, Ohio State will need to keep up its winning ways to match or improve upon its record in the second half of last season. In their last 18 contests, after Jan. 1, 2001, the Buckeyes were 12-5-1. Of Ohio State’s last seven wins of 2000-01, six were shutouts. The Buckeyes certainly are on pace this year, with an 8-1-1 record since Dec. 1.
Follow The Leaders
After 24 games, Jeni Creary leads the team in goals (21), assists (15), points (36), shots (116), power-play goals (9) and +/- rating (+12). Jennifer Desson and Heather Farrell are on top with three game-winning goals and Farrell and Katie Frohreich are in front with 18 penalties and 36 PIM.
Neck-And-Neck
Six Buckeyes are within six points of each other in the scoring race. After tallying five points over the weekend, Emily Hudak (6G, 14A) claimed the second-place spot with 20 points. Heather Farrell (9G, 10A) and Emma Laaksonen (6G, 13A) are third with 19 points, followed by Jennifer Desson (8G, 10A) and Shana Frost (7G, 11A) with 18. Jeanne Chapple (7G, 7A) has 14 points.
Outshooting Opponents
Dartmouth outshot Ohio State, 35-25. The Buckeyes are 11-1-1 when outshooting their opponents and 2-6-3 when outshot.
Whew, That Was A Close One
The Buckeyes’ overtime game against Dartmouth was their seventh of the season. Out of the Buckeyes’ 24 games, 10 have been decided by one goal. Ohio State is 5-5-0 in one-goal games and 2-1-4 in overtime games.
WCHA Team Statistics
As of Jan. 22, Ohio State is fourth (behind Wisconsin) in the WCHA standings with 17 points. In overall team statistics as of Jan. 22, the Buckeyes are fourth in scoring offense (70 goals), fourth in scoring defense (57 goals allowed), fifth in penalty minutes (228 PIM), first in overall power play and second in overall penalty kill.
Buckeyes In The WCHA
As of Jan. 22, Jeni Creary is first in total points (36), first in goal scoring (21), tied for third in assist scoring (15), first in power-play points (16), first in power-play goals (9) and first in freshman scoring (21-15-36). Shana Frost is third with six power-play goals. Emily Hudak (6-14-20) is second and Emma Laaksonen (6-13-19) is third in defenseman scoring, Jennifer Desson and Heather Farrell are fourth in game-winning goals (3) and Desson is fourth in freshman scoring (8-10-18).
Glaser Solid In Net
Melissa Glaser recorded her 11th win of the season against St. Lawrence. The sophomore netminder has started 18 games and is posting an 11-4-3 record, a 2.33 gaa and a .900 save pct. April Stojak has started six games, is 2-3-1 overall and is carrying a 2.33 gaa and an .895 save pct.
Leading The D
Emily Hudak leads the Ohio State defense and is second on the team with 20 points from six goals and 14 assists. Hudak is second in the WCHA among defensemen with 0.83 points per game.
Buckeyes On … The … Power play!
Jeni Creary leads Ohio State and the league in power-play points with 16 (9G, 7A). Emily Hudak follows with 13 points on the power play.
On The Positive Side
Jeni Creary (+12), Jennifer Desson (+8), Lindsey Steblen (+7), Jeanne Chapple (+5), Christine Patno (+2) and Heather Farrell and Shana Frost (+1) are the lone Buckeyes with positive +/- ratings.
A Buckeye First
Shana Frost drew Ohio State’s first penalty shot at the OSU Ice Rink Dec. 15 against Princeton when she was hooked from behind late in the second period. She was unable to convert.
Players of the Week
Four Buckeyes have earned a total of six weekly honors this season: Jeni Creary, Shana Frost, Emma Laaksonen and Jeanne Chapple. Chapple earned the program’s first national honor when she was named the USCHO.com Player of the Week Nov. 20.
WCHA Players of the Week:
Jan. 22, 2002 – Shana Frost
Dec. 11, 2001 – Emma Laaksonen
Nov. 20, 2001 – Emma Laaksonen
Oct. 23, 2001 – Jeni Creary
WCHA Rookie of the Week:
Nov. 20, 2001 – Jeni Creary
USCHO.com Player of the Week
Nov. 20, 2001 – Jeanne Chapple
Barto Reaches Century Mark
Jackie Barto recorded her 100th career victory with a win over UConn Nov. 16 and now stands 109-102-19 overall. Ohio State’s 4-3 win over Providence Nov. 18 marked Barto’s first meeting with her former squad and alma mater. She spent five years at the helm of PC women’s hockey, compiling a 70-53-10 mark.
Speedy Recovery
Buckeye Melissa Pirie is recovering well. The junior wing had surgery Dec. 4 to repair an anterior cruciate ligament tear.
Buckeye Captains
Melissa Glaser, Emily Hudak, Lindsey Ogren are the second-year captains of the Buckeyes.
The Squad
Seventeen returning letterwinners (including goaltender Melissa Glaser, who sat out last season with a medical redshirt) and six newcomers make up the 2001-02 Buckeye squad. There are 13 forwards, seven defensemen and three goaltenders.
OHIOSTATEBUCKEYES.COM
Statistics, game recaps, team notes, a roster and schedule for the women’s hockey team and all of Ohio State’s 34 other varsity sports is available at the official Web site of Ohio State Athletics, https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com. For up-to-the-minute results and statistics from around the nation, visit www.collegehockeystats.com.
Next Up For The Buckeyes
Ohio State takes a much-needed break from action next week. The Buckeyes will play host to No. 1 Minnesota Feb. 8-9 at the OSU Ice Rink.
The Buckeyes/Gophers game Feb. 9 will air on Sport! TV with Randy Rhinehart calling the action and former Ohio State goalie Bill McKenzie providing color commentary. Fans in Columbus can view the tape-delay broadcast on Time Warner Channel 24 and Insight Communications Channel 36. The date and time still are to be announced.
