Ohio State Women’s Ice Hockey Travels to Madison to Face No. 6 Wisconsin – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/29/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey
Oct. 29, 2003
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State women’s ice hockey team takes on the sixth ranked Wisconsin Badgers at 3:05 p.m. EST Saturday and Sunday at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. The Buckeyes are 0-4-0 overall and in the WCHA this season and the Badgers are 4-2-0 overall and 0-2-0 in WCHA action.
THE BROADCAST
The game Saturday will be broadcast on NewsTalk 1310 WIBA in Wisconsin.
WIBA sports director Brian Posick and former women’s hockey player Julia Ortenzio will call the game live.
Live statistics will be available on Wisconsin’s website at www.uwbadgers.com.
SCOUTING NO. 6 WISCONSIN
The Wisconsin Badgers are 4-2-0 overall and 0-2-0 in the WCHA this season. The Badgers were swept by No. 1 Minnesota last weekend in Madison, Wis. The team defeated both Vermont and Maine in a two-game series. Last season, the Badgers finished third in the WCHA with a 14-6-4 record and 22-8-5 overall record.
Leading the Badgers with seven points (1 goal, 6 assists), is freshman forward Sarah Bauer. Not far behind is sophomore Nikki Burish and junior Molly Engstrom with five points each. So far this season the Badgers leading goal scorer is junior forward Jackie Friesen, who has tallied five goals.
Splitting time in the net for Wisconsin are three goaltenders – sophomore Jessica Bernal, freshman Christine Dufour and sophomore Meaghan Horras. Leading the trio is Horras, who has recorded 48 saves on 52 shots, a .923 save percentage in three games this season.
BUCKEYES VS. BADGERS
The Buckeyes trail the Badgers 12-1-5 in the all-time series. The last time the teams faced was at the 2003 WCHA Final Five in Grand Forks, N.D. Wisconsin defeated Ohio State, 4-1, to claim third place in the tournament.
BADGER HEAD COACH
In only his first year with the Badgers, head coach Mark Johnson was named the 2003 WCHA Co-Coach of the Year and was one of eight finalists for the American Hockey Coaches Association Coach of the Year. Johnson’s 2002-03 squad finished 22-8-5 overall and 14-6-4 in the WCHA.
KOHL CENTER
Built in 1998 the Kohl Center serves as the home of Wisconsin’s men’s and women’s basketball teams and the men’s hockey team. The facility contains an ice surface of 200 feet by 100 feet and seating for 14,000.
It would take 1,351,990,520 hockey pucks to fill the Kohl Center.
OSU LEADING SCORER
Ohio State sophomore Jana Harrigan is leading the team with three points this season. Harrigan led the Buckeyes last weekend with two goals and nine shots against Minnesota-Duluth. Harrigan finished second on the team with 29 points last season.
SHOT, SHOTS AND MORE SHOTS
The Buckeyes have outshot their opponents 99-90 so far this season.
OSU recorded a team high 34 shots on goal vs. Minnesota-Duluth Oct. 25. The Buckeyes had previously tallied 23 shots against Minnesota Oct. 18.
PENALTY-KILLING UNIT’S SUCCESS
The OSU penalty-killing unit held the Bulldogs to eight-of-nine power-play chances in the two games combined.
RECORDS ALL AROUND
Senior Heather Farrell competed in her 100th game Oct. 24 vs. UMD. Junior Meaghan Mulvaney played in her 75th game Oct. 24.
ONE MORE
Junior Jennifer Desson is one point away from her 50th career point as a Buckeye. Desson is 25-26-49 all time.
LAST TIME OUT – MINNESOTA-DULUTH
Ohio State was swept by No. 5 Minnesota-Duluth Oct. 24 and Oct. 25 in Columbus, Ohio. OSU took the lead in the contest Oct. 24 but fell to UMD, 4-3. After being down 2-0, Oct. 25, the Buckeyes attempted a come back in the third period, but fell, 2-1.
A TRIO OF HELPERS
Heading up the assists category with two assists each are three Buckeyes – seniors Heather Farrell and Emma Laaksonen and freshman Tessa Bonhomme.
A COINCIDENCE
In both Friday contests this season, OSU has scored the first goal of the game.
SAME TEAM NOW OPPOSITE TEAM
Ohio State head coach Jackie Barto coached Wisconsin defenseman Molly Engstrom.
Barto served as an assistant coach on the U.S. Women’s Under-22 Team which competed at the USA Hockey Festival Aug. 12-18 and in a three-game exhibition series vs. Team Canada Aug. 20-23.
FIRST SEASON MARKS
Five Buckeyes recorded one point each against the Gophers Oct. 17, marking their first points of the season – Tessa Bonhomme, Jennifer Desson, Heather Farrell, Jana Harrigan and Meaghan Mulvaney.
SURFING THE NET
After being out of the net the entire 2002-03 season because of a knee injury, junior goaltender Melissa Glaser returned to action this season. Glaser has started all four games recording 99 saves for a save percentage of .839.
SHOTS LEADER
Freshman Tessa Bonhomme is leading OSU with 16 shots this season. Bonhomme recorded an individual team season high of eight shots Saturday.
TOUGH ROAD AHEAD
The first three weekends this season are tough for OSU. The Buckeyes opened their season vs. No. 1 Minnesota and the competition continued as they faced No. 5 Minnesota-Duluth last weekend. Ohio State battles No. 6 Wisconsin this weekend in Madison, Wis.
DID YOU KNOW?
The 2003-04 Ohio State captains are senior Erin O’Grady and junior Meaghan Mulvaney. The alternate captains are seniors Jeanne Chapple and Emma Laaksonen.
HATS OFF TO MULVANEY
Junior captain Meaghan Mulvaney earned WCHA Offensive Player of the Week for her performance as she recorded two consecutive hat tricks to lead the Buckeyes to a sweep over Toronto in exhibition action Oct. 10-11. The junior captain scored one even strength and two power-play goals in the 5-2 victory Oct. 10. The Ohio native duplicated her success Oct. 11, as she tallied one power-play and two even strength goals. Mulvaney posted 13 shots and finished +4 on the weekend.
CREARY COMPETED AT FESTIVAL
Forward Jeni Creary competed at the Canadian National Team Thanksgiving Festival Oct. 7-12 in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
Sixty of Canada’s top women athletes were asked to compete in the three-team tournament which was the first year for this camp and believed to be the largest camp ever. Coaches and scouts were on hand to see how the players reacted to playing in a competitive environment.
Creary competed for Team Wilson under head coach Ken Dufton of the Toronto Aeros. The group of players were divided into three teams, which were named in honor of Canada’s first three World Championship captains – Team Scherer, Team St-Louis and Team Wilson.
2002-03 SEASON RECAP
Ohio State finished the 2002-03 season fourth in both the regular season standings and the conference tournament. The Buckeyes posted a 12-22-3 overall record, including an 8-13-3 record in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association conference. OSU scored 88 goals, averaging 2.4 goals per game, as well as 130 assists. The Buckeyes allowed 114 goals, an average of 3.1 goals against per contest.
THE 2003 POSTSEASON
The Buckeyes earned a No. 5 seed in the 2003 WCHA Final Five Tournament, which was played in Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D. OSU advanced to the second round with a win over No. 5 Bemidji State, 4-3, in a March 6 overtime game before falling to No. 1 seed Minnesota-Duluth, 6-1, March 7.
The postseason appearance marked the fourth consecutive time OSU advanced to the WCHA tournament. The Buckeyes are 6-6-0 all-time in the tourney.
GOALS TO ACCOMPLISH
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’s is to take the next step forward and come out with big wins,” Jackie 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.”
THE SCHEDULE
The Buckeyes 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, Quinnipiac and Mercyhurst 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, with an OSU loss 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.
WHAT’S UP NEXT?
Ohio State, as do several other teams in the WCHA, have a bye next weekend.
The Buckeyes return to action vs. St. Cloud State at 8:05 p.m. EST Nov. 14th and 15th in St. Cloud, Minn.
FIND OUT ON THE WEB
Keep track of the latest women’s ice hockey news, scores and stats by logging on to the official Ohio State athletic website at ohiostatebuckeyes.com.
WCHA ROUND-UP
Minnesota, Minnesota-Duluth and Minnesota State are in a three-way tie for first place in the league. The other four teams in the conference trail with zero points.
In action this weekend are only two conference series. St. Cloud State travels to Minnesota for its first league competition of the season. Wisconsin plays host to Ohio State in other league action. In non-conference play, Bemidji State will entertain Mercyhurst while Minnesota-Duluth plays host to St. Lawrence.
