Ohio State Women’s Ice Hockey Travels to Twin Cities for 2004 WCHA Final Five – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/11/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey
March 11, 2004
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State women’s ice hockey team claimed the fourth seed in the 2004 WCHA Final Five Tournament and will face fifth seed Minnesota State at 5:05 p.m. EST Friday at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, Minn.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
The playoffs begin Thursday with first-round action, as No. 4-seed Ohio State will face No. 5-seed Minnesota State at 5:05 p.m. EST. The semifinal games will be played at 2:05 p.m. EST and at 5:05 p.m. EST Saturday. The third place and championship games will take place at 2:05 p.m. EST and 5:05 p.m. EST Sunday, respectively.
2004 Women’s WCHA Final Five Tournament
Friday, March 12 – Sunday, March 14
Ridder Arena, Minneapolis, Minn.
Friday, March 12
Game 1 – 5:05 p.m. EST
*No. 4 seed Ohio State vs. No. 5 Minnesota State
Saturday, March 13
Game 2 – 2:05 p.m. EST
No. 2 Wisconsin vs. No. 3 Minnesota-Duluth
Game 3 – 5:05 p.m. EST
No. 1 Minnesota vs. Winner of Game 1
Sunday, March 14
Game 4 – 2:05 p.m. EST
Third place game
Game 5 – 5:05 p.m. EST
Championship Game
* Indicates tournament seed.
Live Stats will be available for all games on www.gophersports.com
TICKETS PLEASE
Tickets for the 2004 WCHA Final Five are on sale. All session tickets are $12, $18 and $25. Single game tickets go on sale Friday and are $18. To order tickets phone 1-800-UGopher.
OSU IN THE PLAYOFFS
The Buckeyes will be making their fifth consecutive appearance at the WCHA Final Five this weekend. They are 6-6-0 all-time in the playoffs.
Ohio State has won every first-round game in the playoffs, defeating both St. Cloud State and Bemidji State twice.
OSU’s most successful WCHA Final Five appearance was in 2001. The No. 5-seeded Buckeyes defeated No. 4 St. Cloud State and blanked No. 1 Minnesota to advance to the championship final where they fell to eventual national champion Minnesota-Duluth.
OSU VS. OPPONENTS IN PLAYOFFS
Ohio State has a perfect 2-0-0 record against Bemidji State and St. Cloud State in WCHA postseason action. The Buckeyes are 1-1-0 vs. both Minnesota and Wisconsin. OSU has yet to gain a win over Minnesota-Duluth in the playoffs, as UMD leads 4-0.
OSU VS. MSU IN PLAYOFFS
The game Friday will mark the first meeting between the Buckeyes and Mavericks in postseason action.
ANOTHER WINNING POSTSEASON
After finishing 1-2 the last two seasons, the Buckeyes are looking for a winning record in postseason action this year. In 2000 and 2001, the Buckeyes earned a 2-1 mark.
THE 2003 TOURNEY
No. 4-seed Ohio State defeated No. 5 Bemidji State, 4-3, in overtime March 6 in the first round of the 2003 WCHA Final Five Tournament at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D. The game was 79:11 minutes, marking the longest game in the four-year history of the WCHA Final Five tournament.
The Buckeyes advanced to the semifinals where they fell to No. 1-seed Minnesota-Duluth, 6-1, March 7. Then, OSU lost to No. 3 Wisconsin, 4-1, in the third place game of the tournament.
AS A FOUR
This season marks the third consecutive year Ohio State earned the No. 4 seed in the WCHA Final Five. In 2000 and 2001 OSU was the No. 5 seed.
GO GETTERS
Two Buckeyes, senior Erin O’Grady and sophomore Jana Harrigan, enter the WCHA Final Five on a three-game points streak. O’Grady has recorded two goals and two assists in the last three games, while Harrigan has recorded two goals and three assists.
OSU POSTSEASON LEADERS
Former Buckeye Corinne Rosen holds OSU’s record of four goals in one postseason (2001). Emily Hudak is ranked first in OSU’s postseason assists record books with five during the 2001 tournament.
LAST TIME OUT – FINDLAY
Ohio State split the series last weekend with Findlay. The Buckeyes topped the Oilers, 4-1, Thursday in Findlay, Ohio. OSU fell 3-2 to UF in the fourth and final Ohio Cup Saturday in Columbus, Ohio. The Oilers clinched their first Ohio Cup victory in the four-year history of the competition. OSU won the trophy the previous three consecutive seasons.
100 IN REACH
With her assist vs. Findlay last Thursday, senior Emma Laaksonen moved within one point of the OSU career record for career points. Laaksonen and junior Jeni Creary now are tied with 97 career points. Shana Frost is OSU’s all-time leader in career points (98).
.500 IN THE WORKS
Ohio State closed out its 2003-04 regular-season with a winning record of 15-14-3 overall. This season marks the third year OSU has ended the regular-season above .500. Depending on the outcome of the WCHA Final Five, the Buckeyes could record their third winning season.
FINAL WCHA REGULAR-SEASON GAME
In its final WCHA regular-season action, Ohio State was swept by then-No. 5 Wisconsin Feb. 27-28 in Columbus, Ohio. The Buckeyes fell 5-1 Friday and 8-2 Saturday. The Buckeyes’ five seniors – Erin O’Grady, Jeanne Chapple, Heather Farrell, Melissa Pirie and Emma Laaksonen – were honored in pregame ceremonies.
CONFERENCE POINTS
The Buckeyes earned at least one conference point against every team in the WCHA this season. The 2000-01 season marks the only other season OSU posted conference points against every team.
SENIORS LEADING THE WAY
The OSU senior class is leading the team with 58 points this season. The group has combined for 21 goals and 38 assists. Not far behind are the juniors with 51 points (25-26). The freshmen are in third place with 47 points (14-33), while the sophomores have 34 points (15-19).
IN THE POLLS
The Buckeyes have been ranked in the national polls twice this season. The first time was Jan. 19, as OSU earned 10th place in both the USCHO.com and USA Today/American Hockey Magazine polls, following an upset and tie with then-No.8/9 Minnesota State. Ohio State was ranked 10th in the USCHO.com poll for the second time following its tie with then-No. 1 Minnesota Feb. 20.
OHIO STATE VS. THE TOP 10
The Buckeyes have faced five ranked opponents this season and have a combined 3-10-2 mark against teams in the Top 10 at the time of the game.
CONFERENCE POINTS LEADER
Sophomore Jana Harrigan leads the Buckeyes with 20 conference points (11-9) this season. In second is Meaghan Mulvaney with 14 points (6-8).
BUCKEYE PENALTY KILL
Ohio State’s penalty-killing unit is ranked sixth in the nation, stopping 118-of-133 of its opponents’ chances this season (88.7 percent).
BUCKEYE LEADERS
Sophomore Jana Harrigan is leading the team in two categories this season – points (27) and goals (14).
Not far behind with 22 points is junior captain Meaghan Mulvaney, who has 10 goals and 12 assists this season.
Mulvaney leads the squad with four power-play goals.
Senior Emma Laaksonen and freshman Tessa Bonhomme lead the assists category with 14 each.
DOUBLE DIGITS
Eight Buckeyes have tallied double-digits in points this season – Jana Harrigan (27), Meaghan Mulvaney (22), Emma Laaksonen and Tessa Bonhomme (17), Heather Farrell, Jeni Creary and Erin O’Grady (16) and Amber Bowman (14).
20+ CLUB
Two Buckeyes have earned 20 or more points so far this season, Jana Harrigan has tallied 27 points on 14 goals and 13 assists and junior Meaghan Mulvaney has 22 points on 10 goals and 12 assists. Last season, four players finished with 20 or more points.
IN THE RANKS
Senior Emma Laaksonen is 26th in the nation among defensemen with 17 points, freshman Tessa Bonhomme is 24th in the nation among defensemen with 17 points.
Junior Melissa Glaser is 18th in the nation with a .915 save percentage and ranked 20th averaging 2.52 goals against per game.
BUCKEYES END GOPHERS RUN
Ohio State ended its 11-game losing streak against Minnesota Feb. 20, as the Buckeyes tied the Golden Gophers, 1-1 in overtime. The tie marked the first in the all-time series.
BADGERS END BUCKEYE STREAK
Ohio State had gone 11 consecutive weekends without being swept by its opponent in a two-game series until Feb. 27-28. Wisconsin’s sweep of Ohio State was the first time the Buckeyes lost both games on a weekend since they were swept at home by Minnesota-Duluth Oct. 24-25, 2003.
NO PENALTIES?
The Buckeyes were not whistled for a penalty vs. Wisconsin Feb. 27, marking the first game in the five-year history of the program OSU was not assessed a penalty. Prior to that game, the fewest number of penalties Ohio State had in a game was one, Dec. 8, 2001 vs. Minnesota State.
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 from the 2000-01 season.
SEASON-HIGH
Ohio State had a season-high 489 fans in attendance Feb. 27 vs. Wisconsin. The crowd ranked third all-time in the OSU record books. The Buckeyes followed with another attendance for the record books, as 459 fans filed in the OSU Ice Rink Feb. 28.
NATIONAL HONORS
Junior Melissa Glaser was named Ohio State’s second national player of the week in the five-year history of the program. Glaser earned USCHO.com Defense Player of the Week for her 35-save performance in the 1-1 overtime tie with then-No. 1 Minnesota last Friday. The Rockford, Ill., native allowed just one goal on 36 shots vs. the Golden Gophers, a .972 save percentage. The tie was her second of the season and she was just three saves shy of setting a season high.
This season, Glaser has posted a 2.57 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage. She has a 9-10-2 overall record and a 7-9-1 record in the WCHA.
ITS BEEN A WHILE
Junior captain Meaghan Mulvaney scored Ohio State’s first shorthanded goal of the season vs. Minnesota-Duluth Feb. 6. The last time a Buckeye scored a shorthanded goal was March 1, 2003 vs. Bemidji State (Jennifer Desson).
SENIOR NIGHT
Ohio State recognized the 2003-04 senior class and their parents prior to the game Feb. 28. The five seniors have combined for a total of 299 points, 124 goals and 175 assists through March 1. The five Buckeye seniors and their career totals are Jeanne Chapple (25-37-62), Heather Farrell (28-37-65), Emma Laaksonen (34-63-97), Erin O’Grady (27-29-56) and Melissa Pirie (10-9-19).
MORE AND MORE ACCOLADES
Ohio State has earned seven WCHA Player of the Week honors this season and one USCHO.com Defensive Player of the Week accolades. Melissa Glaser leads the team with three WCHA honors and one USCHO.com accolade. Freshman Erika Vanderveer has earned two defensive awards. Junior captain Meaghan Mulvaney earned Offensive Player of the Week Nov. 5 and freshman Tessa Bonhomme was named Rookie of the Week Jan. 19.
USCHO.com Defensive Player of the Week
Melissa GlaserFeb. 24
WCHA Offensive Player of the Week
Meaghan Mulvaney Nov. 5
WCHA Defensive Player of the Week
Melissa GlaserFeb. 23, Jan. 5, Dec. 15
Erika VanderveerNov. 24, Nov. 18
WCHA Rookie of the Week
Tessa BonhommeJan. 19
TRICKS OF THE TRADE
Junior Jennifer Desson led the team with four goals, including both gamewinners, against St. Cloud State Nov. 14-15. 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.
SCOUTING NO. 5 SEED MINNESOTA STATE
This year has been a season of firsts for the Mavericks. They finished the regular-season with a 16-13-4 record, marking the first winning season in the six-year history of the program. Minnesota State also is making its first-ever appearance in the WCHA Final Five this weekend. MSU has been in and out of the national polls this season. The squad is 6-7-1 against opponents ranked in the Top 10 and owns three wins over teams ranked No. 1 at the time of the game.
Sophomore Devon Nichols leads the team with 29 points (9-20-29) this season. Not far behind is junior Melanie Salatino with 21 points (15-6-21). Seven Mavericks have earned double-digits in points this season.
In net for the Mavericks is senior Shari Vogt, who is one of 10 finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award. Vogt has a .934 save percentage and a 2.27 goal-against average this season. Vogt set the Maverick single-season record of 1,001 saves last weekend, breaking her own mark of 932 set last season.
MSU head coach Jeff Vizenor has tallied a 30-60-9 mark in his three years at Minnesota State.
BUCKEYES VS. MAVERICKS
The Buckeyes and Mavericks ended the regular-season tied for fourth in the WCHA. OSU claimed the fourth seed in the WCHA Final Five by winning the tiebreaker of best head-to-head record. OSU went 2-1-1 against Minnesota State this season. Ohio State leads Minnesota State, 17-1-2, in the all-time series.
OSU LEADER VS. MAVERICKS
Sophomore Jana Harrigan led the Buckeyes in both series vs. Minnesota State earlier this season. Harrigan posted four goals and one assist in the four games combined. She had one goal Jan. 16, one goal and one assist Jan. 17 and a goal and an assist in each of the games Feb. 13-14 in Mankato, Minn.
SCOUTING NO. 1 SEED MINNESOTA
The Minnesota Golden Gophers (26-4-2 overall, 19-3-2 WCHA) earned their third WCHA regular-season title in four years last weekend as they swept St. Cloud State. Minnesota earned 40 conference points for the top spot in the league, ranking third-highest since the start of the WCHA in 1999-00. The Golden Gophers are 5-4-0 all-time in WCHA postseason action and will have home ice advantage this weekend as the tournament is played in Ridder Arena. Minnesota will face the winner of the Ohio State/Minnesota State game at 5:05 p.m. EST Saturday.
Leading the Golden Gophers with 64 points (30-34) is sophomore Krissy Wendell. Two other players have at least 50 points – junior Kelly Stephens (16-40-56) and sophomore Natalie Darwitz (22-32-54).
In net is junior Jody Horak with a .922 save percentage and a 1.69 goal-against average.
Head coach Laura Halldorson is in her seventh season at the helm of the Minnesota program and has accumulated a 186-42-18 record.
BUCKEYES VS. GOLDEN GOPHERS
The Golden Gophers lead the all-time series 17-4-1. Ohio State went 0-3-1 against Minnesota this season. OSU ended its 11-game losing streak against Minnesota Feb. 20, as the Buckeyes tied the Golden Gophers, 1-1 in overtime. The tie marked the first in the all-time series.
Ohio State is 1-1-0 vs. Minnesota in the WCHA Final Five. The teams have only met in semifinal action of the tournament.
SCOUTING NO. 2 SEED WISCONSIN
With a 24-5-3 overall record and an 18-5- mark in the WCHA, the Badgers garnered their best overall and league records in the five-year history of the program. Wisconsin finished the regular season second in the WCHA with 37 points. UW will face Minnesota-Duluth at 2:05 p.m. EST Saturday.
Freshman Sara Bauer leads the Badgers with 31 points, on seven goals and 24 assists, this season. Wisconsin has 14 players who have reached double-digits in points this season.
Sophomore Meghan Horras and freshman Christine Dufour split time in the net for the Badgers. Horras has a .943 save percentage and a 1.13 goals-against average.
BUCKEYES VS. BADGERS
The Buckeyes trail the Badgers, 2-15-5, in the all-time series. OSU went 1-3-0 against UW this season. Ohio State’s 3-2 victory Nov. 1 marked only the second win for Ohio State against Wisconsin in program history.
OSU is 1-1 against Wisconsin in postseason action. The Buckeyes and Badgers only have faced off in the third-place game of the tourney.
SCOUTING NO. 3 SEED MINNESOTA-DULUTH
The Bulldogs placed third in the WCHA with a 15-8-1 record (19-11-2 overall), marking the lowest position the Bulldogs have finished in their five-year history. Minnesota-Duluth will face Wisconsin at 2:05 p.m. EST Saturday.
Junior Caroline Ouellette leads the Bulldogs and the WCHA with 74 points, on 29 goals and 45 assists, this season. Not far behind is senior Jenny Potter with 72 points, 35 goals and 37 assists.
Freshman Riitta Schaublin leads UMD in net this season. Schaublin has a .909 save percentage and a 2.52 goals-against average.
BUCKEYES VS. BULLDOGS
UMD leads the series 20-2-2. Minnesota-Duluth swept OSU in the first series of the season, but the Buckeyes came back and split in the second series.
OSU never has beaten UMD in the WCHA Final Five. The Bulldogs lead 4-0 in postseason action.
