Tonnessen Scores Gamewinner as No. 9/10 Ohio State Opens Season with 3-2 Victory at Connecticut – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/5/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey
Trio of seniors combine to score twice for the Buckeyes
STORRS, Conn. Sophomore Michele Tonnessen made her first career goal count as she tallied the game-winner in the Ohio State women’s hockey team’s season-opening 3-2 victory over Connecticut Friday in Storrs, Conn. Seniors Tessa Bonhomme, Erin Keys and Mallory Peckels each collected two points and junior goaltender Liana Bonanno had an outstanding game with 24 saves, many of them from directly in front of the net. The game was the season-opener for both the No. 9/10 Buckeyes and Huskies.
A trio of seniors combined twice in the first period to give Ohio State a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. Bonhomme scored at 9:55 to put the Buckeyes up 1-0. Keys picked up the puck behind the UConn net from Peckels and passed it up to Bonhomme skating across the goal. She then flicked it in on a wrist shot for the first OSU goal of the season.
Just before the first period ended, Keys, Bonhomme and Peckels combined again to build a two-goal lead. Minocqua, Wis.-native Peckels passed the puck up from the slot to Bonhomme at the top of the right circle. The defenseman from Sudbury, Ontario then fired it on net, but Husky netminder Brittany Wilson made the save. Keys, a forward from St. Paul, Minn., tucked the rebound into the right corner at 18:48.
Connecticut cut the OSU lead to 2-1 at 4:04 of the second period when Jennifer Chaisson flicked the puck toward the net from the blue line. After bouncing off the left post, Justine Cigna tapped in the rebound to put the Huskies on the board. Samantha Reid collected the second assist on the goal.
In the opening minutes of the third period, the Huskies knotted the score at 2-all. Michelle Binning fired a shot from the top of the slot and the bouncing puck trickled in past Bonanno and tied the game at 4:24. Binning was assisted by Amy Hollstein and Bridget King.
Ohio State regained the lead at 10:33 when Tonnessen picked up the loose puck from behind the net and jammed it in from the left corner. It was the first career goal and second career point for the sophomore forward from Gahanna, Ohio.
Despite two power play opportunities in the final five minutes of the third period and an extra skater for the last 1:43, Connecticut was unable to get anything past Bonanno thanks to diving saves and a solid defense. The Buckeye penalty kill finished the game with a perfect 4-for-4, limiting the Huskies to four power play shots.
Ohio State out-shot UConn, 30-26. Wilson finished the game with 27 saves for Connecticut.
The Buckeyes and Huskies will conclude their nonconference series Saturday at 4 p.m.
