2003-04 Women’s Hockey Season Outlook – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/22/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey
Oct. 22, 2003
October 2003 begins the fifth season of women’s ice hockey at Ohio State. Head coach Jackie Barto helped start a new Buckeye tradition in 1999 and last year marked the graduation of her first recruiting class. The 14 returning players will carry on the traditions set by the inaugural class and embark upon a new era in 2003-04 with six freshmen replacing the eight graduates.
The returning nine forwards bring a wealth of experience to the ice. The three returning defensemen will use their wisdom and strength to guide three defensive newcomers. Freshman Erika Vanderveer joins the combination of Melissa Glaser and Natalie Lamme in goal this season.
“The strengths of the team will be their work ethic and the desire to win,” Barto said. “We have a very good combination of quality returning players and a lot of energy and excitement with the six incoming freshmen. The two have the potential to come together both on and off the ice.”
After finishing 12-22-3 last season, the Buckeyes have a lot to build upon in 2003. The squad finished 5-10 in one-goal games and was 2-1-3 in overtime games.
“A goal of the team this year is to take the next step forward and come out with big wins,” Barto said “Last season we had 15 one-goal games and we only came out with a few wins. To accomplish this we need to improve our defense. If we are very strong and very committed to the defensive side of the puck that will improve us in the one-goal games.”
Between the Pipes
Returning to goal this season is OSU’s career goals against average (2.70) and career save percentage (.899) leader, junior Melissa Glaser. After suffering knee injuries in 2001 and 2003 Glaser returns with two years of eligibility. In 2002, Glaser’s most successful campaign, she posted a goals-against average of 2.30 and recorded 561 saves in 26 games.
“Melissa Glaser’s return will be very positive for our team,” Barto said. “She is very confident, has excellent communications skills, competes very hard and is a top level goaltender. Our squad is very confident in her play and having her back in the goal will really boost our team’s potential.”
Competing with Glaser for playing time will be sophomore Natalie Lamm© and freshman Erika Vanderveer. Lamm© spent her freshman campaign as April Stojak’s backup, playing in 12 games and posting an .885 save percentage. In 2003, Vanderveer of Bradford, Ontario, was the starting goalie for the Mississauga Jr. Chiefs and looks to prove her abilities this year.
On the Blue Line
The Buckeye defense looks to a trio of upperclassmen to teach the group of incoming freshmen the ropes of collegiate hockey. The combination of the upperclassmen’s experience, skill, their commitment to defense and their work ethic should produce a successful defensive unit.
Senior Emma Laaksonen will lead the defense for the fourth consecutive season. While serving as an alternate captain for OSU in 2002-03, she finished fourth overall with 21 points and tied for first on the team with 15 assists (6-15-21). She also ranked 16th in the nation among defensemen averaging .68 points per game. Laaksonen brings international and Olympic experience to the team, as she is a member of Team Finland and competed in the 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympics.
“Emma will be key to our defense and we look for her to take the younger players under her wing,” Barto said. “She will be a true leader of our backline by leading in the way she plays, the way she works and her desire to be successful. She had a great spring and wonderful summer and we look for her to have one of her best seasons here at Ohio State.”
Junior Jaclyn Haines (0-7-7) and sophomore Katie Sershen (0-3-3) will combine with Laaksonen to teach and guide the three incoming freshmen – Tessa Bonhomme, Amber Bowman and Lacey Schultz. The trio brings a wealth of experience and will be looked upon to make an immediate impact on the defense this season.
“We are going to combine a nice group of returning players with a high energy group of freshmen, which has the potential to make a great group of defensemen,” Barto said. “The key will be to make sure we are very solid in our defensive zone right off the bat.”
The Buckeye Attack
The depth of the offense will be key for the 2003-04 campaign. Nine forwards return to the team; eight reached double-digits in points in 2003, including three who posted 20+ points.
“Our offense has a lot of potential this season and we are excited about our group of returning forwards,” Barto said. “Looking back on last year we didn’t really lose goal scorers. The players we lost brought some different things to the table and this year’s returnees have a great deal of promise.”
Leading the offense is junior Jeni Creary, who topped the Buckeyes with 37 points (23-14-37), tied for fifth in the nation with nine power-play goals and tied for eighth in the nation with five game-winning tallies in 2003. She claimed WCHA All-Tournament team accolades after scoring three goals, including the Buckeyes’ game-winning goal in the final seconds of overtime to lead No. 4-seed Ohio State to a 4-3 victory over No. 5 Bemidji State. After competing for Canada’s National Women’s Under-22 Team this summer, Creary is looking to repeat her success in 2003-04.
Playing in the same line with Creary will be juniors Jennifer Desson (11-15-26) and captain Meaghan Mulvaney (7-11-18). The trio combined for 81 points last season and they still have two more years to reach their full potential.
Sophomore Jana Harrigan returns to the squad after seeing action in all 37 games, finishing second on the team in scoring with 28 points (13-15-28) and tying for first with 15 assists as a freshman. Harrigan also posted five multiple-point games and earned WCHA Rookie of the Week for her performance against Bemidji State Feb. 28-March 1.
The returning seniors include Jeanne Chapple (4-6-10), Heather Farrell (6-5-11), captain Erin O’Grady (3-8-11) and Melissa Pirie (2-0-2). Sophomores Crystal Sayther (3-4-7) also return to the squad. Creary and Desson each tallied hat tricks, while O’Grady and Desson recorded two shorthanded goals in 2003.
Two freshmen, Katie Maroney and Krysta Skarda, join the offense and both will be able to gain valuable experience and make an immediate impact on the ice.
The Schedule
Ohio State opens the 2003-04 campaign taking on Toronto in an exhibition series Oct. 10-11. The Buckeyes open the regular season taking on WCHA runner-up Minnesota (Oct. 17-18) in Minneapolis, Minn., and return home to face defending national champion Minnesota-Duluth (Oct. 24-25). Then, the squad is on the road two-consecutive weekends vs. Wisconsin and St. Cloud State. The toughest part of the schedule might be competing on the road for four straight weekends in January and February. The Buckeyes play every WCHA team four times during the season, a two-game trip on the road and a two-game series at home.
In nonconference action, OSU faces Niagara and Quinnipiac for the first time in the four-year history of the program. The team travels to Erie, Pa., to take on Mercyhurst, the teams faced off for the first time last season in which OSU lost 2-1. In the final game of the regular season (March 6), Ohio State looks to defend the Ohio Cup trophy after defeating Findlay for three consecutive years.
The 2003 WCHA Final Five Tournament will be held March 12-14 at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, Minn. The Buckeyes are striving for the 2003 NCAA Frozen Four March 26 and 28 in Providence, R.I.
