No. 10 Women’s Hockey Battles No. 1 Wisconsin to 2-2 Tie – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/14/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey
Buckeyes end Badgers win streak at 17 games; Tessa Bonhomme picks up two more points
MADISON, Wis. The 10th-ranked Ohio State women’s hockey team ended No. 1 Wisconsin’s win streak at 17 games, battling the Badgers to a 2-2 overtime tie Sunday at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. The tie also ends Ohio State’s losing streak to the two-time defending NCAA champions at 12 games. The Buckeyes are 1-2-1 overall this season with a 0-1-1 mark in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Wisconsin is 5-0-1 with a 1-0-1 conference record.
The Buckeyes trailed 1-0 after the first period, despite a power play in the last minutes with good scoring chances. Wisconsin got on the board with a power play goal itself at 8:51. From the left goal crease, Jinelle Zaugg flicked in the rebound off a shot by Mallory Deluce to give the Badgers the lead. Bonanno made 14 saves in the opening 20 minutes as UW had a 15-8 advantage in shots. Seven of OSU’s shots were with the man-advantage.
Ohio State scored twice in the closing minutes of the second period to take a 2-1 lead into the intermission. A trio of seniors connected at 17:10 to knot the game at 1-all. Mallory Peckels passed the puck up from behind the net up to Tessa Bonhomme at the top of the slot, who sent it down to Erin Keys at the right doorstep. Keys flipped in the puck on a wrist shot to put the Buckeyes on the board. It was the third lamplighter of the season for the forward from St. Paul, Minn. Peckels and Bonhomme each picked up their third assists.
The Buckeyes then took the lead at 18:43 when Bonhomme set up another goal, this time scored by freshman Shannon Reilly. Bonhomme brought the puck up the ice and zipped it across the slot from the right boards to Reilly again waiting at the right goal crease. The freshman from Chanhassen, Minn., tapped it in for her first career point as a Buckeye and moved the score to 2-1.
The 2-1 Ohio State lead was the first time since Wisconsin trailed since Feb. 9, 2007, a span of 15 games. The Buckeyes were the last team to lead the Badgers, with a 2-0 score in the first period of that game in Madison. The second stanza also marked just the second time this season UW has been held scoreless in a period.
The two teams battled hard in the third period, with Wisconsin knotting up the game at 12:38. Zaugg came charging into the OSU zone and fired a shot on goal. Deluce flicked in the rebound to tie the score at 2-2.
As the minutes were winding down in regulation, the Buckeyes successfully killed off two UW power play opportunities limiting the Badgers to just three shots. Ohio State finished with a quality scoring opportunity when senior Jody Heywood just missed on a deflection in front of the net as the clock expired.
Ohio State began the overtime period with 47 seconds left on a power play, but could not get anything past Badger netminder Jessie Vetter. Junior OSU goaltender Liana Bonanno was just as strong, stopping both of her shots faced to secure the tie.
Bonanno made 30 saves in the game for a total of 63 on the weekend. Ten of the saves by the Mount Sinai, N.Y. native were made on the power play as the Buckeye penalty kill was 4-of-5. Bonanno is 1-2-1 this season.
Vetter made 17 saves and is 4-0-1. Prior to this game, she had allowed just one goal all season with three shutouts.
With her two assists, Bonhomme increased her team-leading point total to six, including four helpers. Keys’ three goals leads the Buckeyes.
Up next, Ohio State returns to Columbus to host No. 7 Minnesota Oct. 19-20 in its first home series of 2007-08. Games begin at 7:07 p.m. both Friday and Saturday at the OSU Ice Rink.
