Ohio State Women’s Ice Hockey Welcomes Quinnipiac to OSU Ice Rink – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/11/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey
Jan. 11, 2004
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State plays host to future College Hockey America league opponent Quinnipiac at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday at the OSU Ice Rink in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State is 9-6-1 overall and 6-6-0 in the WCHA this season. Quinnipiac stands at 6-10-1 overall.
THE BROADCAST
The game will be broadcast live by The Underground: The Ohio State University’s only student-run radio station. The game can be heard on UNITS cable channel 4 or at www.underground.fm.
SCOUTING QUINNIPIAC
Playing as an independent team, the Bobcats are 6-10-1 overall this season. QU has tallied 50 goals and 69 assists compared to its opponents’ 51 goals and 60 assists. Quinnipiac’s victories came against Union, Sacred Heart, Clarkson, Southern Maine and Vermont. The only team Ohio State and Quinnipiac both have played was Northeastern. QU fell 4-0 to the Huskies, while OSU won, 3-0, and tied 1-1 OT.
The Bobcats’ goal scorer this season is junior Gillian Gallagher, who has tallied 10 goals and two assists. Leading the team with 18 points (7-11-18), is freshman Vicky Graham. QU has five players in double-digits this season.
In goal for Quinnipiac is the combination of junior Catherine Lapare and freshman Janelle Wolitski. Lapare has a 2.70 goals-against average and a .893 save percentage in 10 games. Wolitski has a 3.05 goals-against average and a .887 save percentage in eight games.
BUCKEYES VS. BOBCATS
Ohio State and Quinnipiac will be meeting for the first time in program history. The Buckeye are 3-0-1 against non-conference opponents this season.
QUINNIPIAC HEAD COACH
Michael Barrett, a 1985 Quinnipiac graduate, is in his second season as the head coach of the Bobcats women’s ice hockey program. Joining him are the sibling combo of Lisa and Bruce Giovanelli. Last season the trio posted a 5-25-2 record in their first year.
DOUBLE-DIPPING
The Ohio State men’s hockey team faced Quinnipiac for the first time in program history last Tuesday at the Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The Buckeyes scored a goal with less than one second to win the game 1-0.
FIRST, BUT NOT THE LAST
This game marks the first of many games in which Ohio State and Quinnipiac will faceoff. Beginning with the 2004-05 season, the Buckeyes and Bobcats both will join College Hockey America.
LAST TIME OUT
Ohio State split a two-game series with St. Cloud State Jan. 3-4 in Columbus, Ohio. OSU had a 2-0 lead going into the final stretch of the game Jan. 3, but the Huskies scored with less than two minutes on the clock to keep the Buckeyes from earning a shutout, 2-1. Despite outshooting SCSU, 34-25, Ohio State fell 2-1, in game two Jan. 4. The Buckeyes scored their lone under the two minute mark.
SHOTS, SHOTS AND MORE SHOTS
Shots have made an impact on the Buckeye squad this season, as Ohio State is 4-2-0 when outshooting its opponents. OSU is 5-4-0 when outshot by its opponents.
A COINCIDENCE
In game one of the last four series, Ohio State scored the first goal and carried its momentum to the end of the game for a win. The Buckeyes are 6-2-0 in the opening game of a series this season. The Buckeyes have scored the first goal in 8-of-9 series openers this season.
RECORD SEASON
The Buckeyes have set three program records so far this season. For the first time in program history Ohio State went on a nine-game unbeaten streak (Nov. 14-Jan. 3). During that time OSU had a seven-game winning streak, from Nov. 14-Dec. 12, breaking a six-game streak in the 2000-01 season. The Buckeyes also won five consecutive conference games, breaking the previous record of four wins from the 2000-01 season.
PK POWER
Ohio State’s penalty-killing unit is ranked seventh in the nation and second in the WCHA, stopping 62-of-68 of its opponents’ power plays (91.2 percent).
BUCKEYES VS. OPPONENTS
The Buckeyes are leading their opponents in three categories this season. The squad has outscored its opponents by six goals, tallied 19 more assists and scored five more power-play goals than its opponents.
ALL-TIME LOW
The Buckeyes only have tallied 89 penalties for 178 minutes compared to their opponents 105 for 226 minutes this season. All of OSU’s penalties have been minors, while its opponents have recorded two 10-minute misconduct. Sixteen games into last year, the Buckeyes recorded 99 penalties for 212 minutes.
HOMERS
Playing in the beloved OSU Ice Rink this season has made an impact as the Buckeyes are 5-3-0 at home. Last season, OSU was 6-10-1. The Buckeyes have seven more home games this season.
TWO IN A ROW
Junior goaltender Melissa Glaser earned her second consecutive WCHA Defensive Player of the Week honor Jan. 5 for allowing just three goals on 62 shots as the Buckeyes split the weekend series with St. Cloud State (Jan. 3-4). Glaser recorded a season-high 37 saves in a 2-1 victory Jan. 3. The Illinois native stopped 23-of-25 shots in the 2-1 loss to the Huskies Jan. 4. Glaser finished the weekend with a .952 save percentage and a 1.51 goals-against average.
BUCKEYE LEADERS
Sophomore Jana Harrigan leads the Buckeye squad with 12 points, six goals and six assists, this season. Harrigan recorded 29 points, 14 goals and 15 assists, for OSU last season.
Trailing Harrigan by one point is junior forward Jeni Creary, who has five goals and six assists. Creary led the squad with 37 points last season.
Senior captain Emma Laaksonen continues to lead Ohio State with nine assists this season.
Despite not playing in the last five games because of injury, junior Jennifer Desson continues to lead the Buckeyes in three categories – goals (7), game-winning goals (3) and shooting percentage (.292).
100 IN REACH
Two Buckeyes are close to reaching 100 career points. Senior Emma Laaksonen has 90 points and junior Jeni Creary has 92 points. Ohio State’s career leader with 98 points is former player Shana Frost.
SHOTS LEADER
Freshman Tessa Bonhomme heads the Buckeye squad with 58 shots this season.
MORE AND MORE ACCOLADES
Ohio State has earned five WCHA Player of the Week honors this season. Two Buckeyes, Melissa Glaser and Erika Vanderveer, have earned the honor twice. Junior captain Meaghan Mulvaney earned Offensive Player of the Week Nov. 5.
DOUBLE-DIGITS
Four Buckeyes have recorded double-digits in points this season. Sophomore Jana Harrigan has 12, junior Jeni Creary has 11 and junior Meaghan Mulvaney and senior Emma Laaksonen are tied with 10 points. Sixteen of the 20 players on the OSU squad have recorded points this season, 14 of which have scored a goal.
THREE-FOR-THREE
Freshman goaltender Erika Vanderveer has earned a 3-0-0 record in her three games in net this season. Vanderveer has accumulated a 0.33 GAA and a .986 save percentage.
The rookie recorded two consecutive shutouts earlier this season against Bemidji State and St. Cloud State.
ROOKIE SUCCESS
Freshman goaltender Erika Vanderveer has earned two WCHA player of the week honors this season. Vanderveer received rookie of the week honors Nov. 16 and defensive player of the week the following week for her second consecutive shutout.
TRICKS OF THE TRADE
Junior Jennifer Desson led the team with four goals, including both gamewinners, against St. Cloud State Nov. 14. Desson recorded her second career hat trick, the teams’ first of the season, Nov. 14 and tallied an additional goal in the shutout Nov. 15.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES
Senior denfenseman Emma Laaksonen and junior forward Jeni Creary both competed at international tournaments this year.
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.
Laaksonen competed for Team Finland in the 2003 Four Nations Cup Nov. 5-9 in Skovde, Sweden. Team Finland earned the bronze medal in the four day competition. The event marked the seventh Four Nations Cup Laaksonen has played in with Team Finland.
THE SCHEDULE
The toughest part of the schedule might be competing on the road for four consecutive weekends in January and February. The Buckeyes play every WCHA team four times during the season, a two-game trip on the road and with a two-game series at home.
In non-conference action, OSU faces 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.
WCHA ROUND-UP
Going into this weekend, Ohio State is tied for fourth with Minnesota-Duluth in the WCHA standings.
Minnesota remains in first place with 19 points, while Wisconsin is not far behind with 16 points.
At the bottom of the league is Bemidji State in sixth and St. Cloud State in seventh.
WHAT’S UP NEXT
The Buckeyes play host to Minnesota State at 7:05 p.m. Friday and at 4:05 p.m. Saturday in WCHA action at the OSU Ice Rink.
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 FINAL FIVE
Tickets for the 2004 WCHA Final Five, set for March 12-14 at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, Minn., are on sale now. To order tickets phone 1-800-UGopher.
